Upendra Yadav made his T20 debut for Uttar Pradesh back in the 2014 season when he played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture vs Railways. Nine years since his first game, the wicketkeeper-batter has played only 30 fixtures and a lot (12) of those came in the last two seasons when he moved base to Railways, his first opponent at the senior level.
The youngster, even after doing well in the limited opportunities he got for Uttar Pradesh, wasn’t getting a consistent run and his absence from the state’s T20 squad was getting noticed by the IPL franchises too. At that point, he had no idea about the “thought process” of the men who mattered but made up his mind on moving to Railways, where he had a job as a junior clerk since 2017.
“I don’t know the thought process but the year I made the switch, I didn’t play T20 for Uttar Pradesh. I got calls from 2-3 IPL franchises checking whether I was injured and they asked why I wasn’t playing T20s for UP. I had no answer to that because I wasn’t named in the team. Then they (IPL teams) used to tell me that it’s very important to feature in domestic T20s to make the IPL cut. I was doing well for UP in four-day matches, in one-dayers. Even my last match for UP is the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (2020-21),” says Upendra in an exclusive conversation with News18 CricketNext.
Moving to Railways wasn’t an easy decision but the right-hander, aware of the challenges which came along, was ready to take the bold call and said goodbye to UP. The “tough decision” is turning out to be a masterstroke as after just two seasons with Railways, the 26-year-old has graduated to India A level and also has an IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“Tough decision tha but le liya. UP main facilities and all better hai… kaafi socha tha fir le liya. Abhi tak sahi chal raha hai, I was named in India A squad too. I did well in the two opportunities I got against New Zealand A and Bangladesh A. And then was picked by SRH in the IPL auction,” says Upendra.
“Be ready for India call…”
In the last 6-8 months, many have asked Upendra to be “ready for India call”. He remembers conversations with ex-chairman of India’s senior selection committee Chetan Sharma, who had said that stumper was in the line and “chance can come any time”.
“When Chetan Sharma sir was the selector, he did tell me that you are very close. He told me that they (Indian selectors) are looking at me after Rishabh Pant and Kona Bharat. He told me that I am in the queue and advised me to keep working hard in the domestic circuit as a chance can come any time now,” says Upendra.
Similar conversations happened when he was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad during IPL 2023, his first taste of the cash-rich league when side’s fielding coach Ryan Cook gave him glowing feedback and was impressed with the youngster’s progress.
“I got detailed feedback from our fielding coach Ryan Cook who is from the Netherlands. He told me that I am one of the best wicketkeepers going around the circuit and he was impressed with my batting and progress from the first day to the last day of our time at SRH this year. He told me I should be ready because the India call will come very soon. He had tracked my performance in domestic and India A circuit too and told me to keep repeating that on a consistent basis,” says Upendra.
“My brother left two-three jobs for me”
Before making it big and enjoying the IPL life, Upendra’s favourite hobby as a kid during his family’s time at the UP Police residential quarters was cricket. One of the neighbour “Vivek bhaiya” spotted his talent early and advised Upendra’s father Diwan Singh, who is now a retired sub-inspector, to enrol him into a proper academy.
“Pehle to bas cricket hi khelna hota tha har waqt. Jab hum police quarter mai the toh bachpan mai pura time cricket. Then one of our neighbours – Vivek bhaiya – asked my father to enrol me into an academy and that’s how the journey started,” reveals Upendra.
During his early days, elder brother Varun, who himself was a talented cricketer but had to give up the sport due to family responsibilities, stood behind Upendra like a rock. Varun used to drop Upendra to the club for early morning training, then to school and from school to the academy for the evening session. The daily drill used to take most of his time and forced the elder brother to change two-three jobs in order to keep giving time to his younger brother.
“Bahut sacrifice kiya hai unhone ne. He was a cricketer too but had to take up studies due to family responsibilities. My elder brother however ensured to support me throughout my journey. He used to drop me to the club for early morning practice and then from there to the school. After school, he used to drop me to the academy for another session. This routine used to take most of his time and he had to change 2-3 jobs because of this,” says Upendra.
Chasing the dream
Right from his age-group days, Upendra has been making the right noise with performances with the bat and glove work behind the stumps but it was one particular innings in the Vijay Merchant Trophy which instilled a lot of self-belief in him. That knock gave him the license to dream big and target the India cap.
“Back during my U-16 days for UP, I scored 204* in a match vs Rajasthan. It was then I realised I can play cricket at a higher level and started dreaming for the India cap. I got the belief then that being a wicketkeeper-batter, I am scoring big runs so it will take me far. And then when you start performing consistently, you start believing in your skills more and get closer to India cap. Jitna consistent karoge utna zyaada believe karte rahoge apni journey mai, yehi maine seekha hai,” says Upendra.
The last three years have been eventful in Upendra’s cricketing journey and have made him more serious about the daily routine and the importance of sticking to it. He is enjoying the benefits of an “improved lifestyle” and the professional approach to daily routines.
“I am very committed to my daily routine which involves batting, fitness and also taking care of the diet. I have become all the more serious in the last 2-3 years. Not that I wasn’t before. But I would eat something out of my diet or miss an odd training session here and there. In the last 2-3 years, I am taking care of my body and routine like a professional and it has benefitted my game and improved my overall lifestyle,” says Upendra.
With so much attention coming his way and increasing chatter around the India cap, is Uoendra feeling some pressure?
“Jab zyaada sochta hu to pressure to lagta hai ki kaise hoga match mai and kya hoga. These are the conversations I had with players in the IPL, especially Bhuvneshwar Kumar who is also from UP, and also during my team with the UP senior team. I used to talk a lot to Akshdeep Nath and Rinku Singh. Even now I am in regular touch with Rinku Singh and keep discussing these things with him and on how to approach a game mentally,” says Upendra.
Upendra is currently preparing in Lucknow for the upcoming Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru where he will represent Central Zone. The stumper is vice-captain of the squad and will hope for a consistent show in the tournament to keep his journey on the right track. India begin a new World Test Championship cycle next month and there is a bright possibility of Upendra reaching his Team India destination during one of the Test series.
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