"Didn't you bring me up working in the farm? If cricket doesn't work, I'll do the same."
Gaurav Yadav didn't need to further impress upon his life choices to his father as a 21-year-old, more than a decade ago. Having grown up in Bisoni Kalan, a hamlet in rural Madhya Pradesh, Yadav hadn't played any form of age-group cricket, but aspired to bowl quick and "make a name."
On a visit to Indore, when he enquired about the possibility of playing serious cricket at a local club, he was condemned outright. "I asked what the pathway was for someone who hadn't played at an age-group level? They told me 'don't play' straightaway. But I knew I couldn't give up so easily."
Yadav remembers this incident as the trigger for his motivation to succeed, after having returned his career-best match haul of 10 for 98 in the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy opener, where he fashioned Puducherry's upset over Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in an Elite Group D fixture.
This was Yadav's first first-class game for Puducherry, having moved from Madhya Pradesh. After more than a decade since debuting for them in 2012-13, Yadav endured a somewhat frustrating journey, featuring in just 30 first-class games over a ten-year period. He wasn't a white-ball regular either.
He was first picked out of tennis ball cricket by Narendra Hirwani, the former India legspinner, during his time as selection committee chairman at Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA). Yadav was roped in for an Under-25 game where he picked a five-for against the visiting Mumbai team. The following week, he lined up to make his Ranji Trophy debut against Gujarat in Indore.
"Hirwani sir saw me bowl one over and immediately told Sanjay Jagdale [former MPCA chief] I must be honed," Yadav remembers. "I was at a selection game. After the first day, one of the selectors told me 'don't come tomorrow'. I was shocked because I'd bowled superbly. Then he laughed and said, you're joining the Ranji team."
Over the years, Yadav has battled several injuries. In just his second season, in a bid to bowl quick, he twisted his ankle prior to the season. Once he recovered and was picked, he fell off a bike and injured his left leg. In another instance, he was diagnosed with chikungunya prior to the start of a season.
"You ask me why I've played so little, essentially it's all these reasons that have played a major part," he says. "When you don't play, your form suffers. When you're injured, selectors sometimes think if it's worth the risk."
But it hasn't all just been a story of frustration and toil. The rewards came in 2021-22 when he was part of the victorious Ranji Trophy-winning Madhya Pradesh team. His 23 wickets in five games that season were the most among all fast bowlers.
"After that season, I thought I'll finally be an all-format regular, but somehow the chances didn't come," Yadav says. "Last season again, I bowled superbly in the quarterfinals against Andhra [he picked up five wickets in the match, including 3 for 10 in the second innings]. During that game, I got injured, but the selectors and coach [Chandrakant Pandit] felt I should push for the semi-finals [against Bengal].
"We lost that game and got knocked out. I didn't have a great one. Then before the Irani Cup, the injury aggravated and I was ruled out. Still, I expected to come back for the white-ball games once fully fit, but that didn't happen. At 31, I wasn't a regular. I was branded a one-format bowler. I'd sacrificed opportunities at trialling with IPL teams just to play for MP. I thought it was time to move out."
Prior to this season, Yadav was recommended to Puducherry by Venkatesh Iyer, his Madhya Pradesh team-mate. Puducherry were on the lookout for a fast bowler, and the move to bring him on board was unanimous. Once here, he struck a wonderful working relationship with the group.
"I felt if I move here and it doesn't work out, I'll still take that, at least I won't have regrets about not trying," Yadav says. "I feel I can do better in white-ball cricket too. I was the [joint] highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20 [he picked up 23 wickets in nine games] and then COVID struck. From then on, I was hardly considered, so essentially I wanted to play all formats without thinking if I'm playing or not."
Last year, for the first time, he finally attended trials with an IPL franchise and was selected by Royal Challengers Bangalore as a net bowler. It's an opportunity that had bypassed him earlier because Pandit [MP's coach] had "strictly told me to focus on red-ball cricket."
"In one of the first few net sessions, I managed to impress Virat [Kohli] bhai," he says with a smile. "After the session, I was sitting in a corner with the other net bowlers. Obviously you don't know how to approach a big player like him with questions. He came and spoke on his own. His words were very encouraging. That gave me a lot of confidence."
Yadav knows at 32 he's trying to make up for lost time. But he's moved on from having regrets. Instead, he wants to channel his energies towards winning games for his team.
"I don't think much now, I just want to live in the present. The next ball I bowl is the most important and the game am playing the most important of my life," he says. "If not Ranji, then club cricket. I don't expect anymore. If IPL happens, great. This game is my focus. I want to bowl long spells and win matches for my team bowling fast."