With a father in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and an older brother a doctor in the making, Kartik Yadav was the "naalayak" (good for nothing) at home. A few years down the line, Kartik had clean bowled Virat Kohli at a nets session, and the Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner is now making waves in the ongoing Ranji Trophy.
A couple of years ago, some of India's batters were training in the nets in Kanpur before a Test against Bangladesh. Kartik was just short of 18 at the time when he hit Kohli's stumps and received the compliment of "well bowled".
"I'm not sure if Virat sir even remembers that ball or that moment but for me it's become a lifetime memory," Kartik told Cricinfo during the UPT20 League in August. "What can be bigger than the world's top batter turning around and complimenting you?"
Ravindra Jadeja was also at the net session, a player Kartik had grown up idolising on television. "I just kept looking at him, I couldn't utter a word," Kartik said. "I just folded my hands and did namaste to him."
Kartik made his first-class debut for UP against Tamil Nadu less than a year ago and took a five-for in the match. This season, he's picked up wickets in all three rounds of the Ranji Trophy so far: six wickets in an innings win against Bihar, a second five-for in a win against Goa, and a career-best 6 for 42 in a draw in Puducherry.
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Kartik comes from a disciplined family. His father works for the CRPF and his brother is about to become a doctor. Kartik had made up his mind to become a cricketer but his father also wanted him to focus on his studies. But when Yadav senior saw Kartik's dedication towards the game, he supported his son's love for cricket.
When Kartik was around 11, his father sat him down and asked, "Tell me honestly, what will you pick between studies and cricket?" Kartik did not waver: "Papa, I'm going to play even if I have to ignore my studies."
"I was very mischievous when I was a kid," Kartik says. "I used to study but mentally I was always on the field. I used to play the whole day so everyone at home thought I would be good for nothing, and what would I do in life? Then I told my father I want to become a cricketer. My brother also helped in convincing him and then my father enrolled me at an academy in Prayagraj."
At 14, Kartik made it to Kanpur's Fatehpur's Sports Hostel. A year later, he moved to Ghaziabad to enroll at the TNM Cricket Academy so he could work under former India batter Ajay Sharma, who is also the head coach of the Ranji defending champions Jammu & Kashmir.
Kartik was nowhere close to making the UP senior team before the start of last season, but his feats for the state's Under-23 side in the CK Nayudu Trophy forced the senior selectors to look his way. In just three matches he bagged 29 wickets and was picked for the opening Ranji game, against Tamil Nadu.
"When I was picked in the squad I thought I'd have to warm the bench or get used to the dressing room for some time," he says. "But I got goosebumps when I came to know I was in the XI. I never thought I would get a chance so soon, and I did well. I was not nervous but I kept telling myself not to overdo things. I focused on doing the same things I had been doing for years."
Kartik aims to become an allrounder like his idol Jadeja, but when it comes to attitude and mindset his role model changes. "On the field Jadeja is my idol, but when it comes to mindset my role model is Hardik Pandya. When I go on the field my attitude is such that I am the best and I have to dominate things, no matter who is in front. Whether it's Under-23, UP T20 League or Ranji Trophy. "
With just six first-class games to his name, Kartik says he tries to play with the batter's mind when conditions are flat. "I try to use the crease and angles, I switch to leg-stump lines sometimes, or I make field changes that can surprise the batters. Patience is the biggest weapon in red-ball games. A batter often makes a mistake when he's not able to score easily."
Kartik got to hone his skills further with elite coaches when he was picked by the BCCI for an Under-25 camp at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in April and May. Before working with VVS Laxman there, Kartik was also a net bowler with Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
"Laxman sir and other coaches at the CoE taught us that being a professional player is not just about spending four hours on the field," Kartik says. "Your diet, body language on and off the field, recovery and attitude all matter and play a role in you becoming a long-term player."
The original story was published on Cricinfo Hindi and can be read here.