For Ramavadh Yadav, a truck driver from Madhya Pradesh, funding his son’s cricket dream often meant sleepless nights and borrowed money. That gamble has paid off with young Mangesh Yadav eventually landing a Rs 5.2 crore contract with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Before Mangesh ever bowled a ball in professional cricket, his father had already invested everything he could into his son’s ambition. Now 23, Mangesh first played the game in a small courtyard at home with his mother, long before his journey took him to bigger stages.
Reflecting on the struggles the family endured to keep the dream alive, Ramavadh said, “I had to struggle a lot for money. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep at night, thinking about how I would raise money for him. The life of a truck driver is no life at all. You don’t have time to eat or bathe. When the truck is full, you worry about offloading, and when it’s empty, you have to worry about filling it up.”
The 23-year-old from Borgaon in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district grew up playing cricket in modest surroundings. It was his uncle who first noticed his ability during local tennis-ball tournaments and encouraged him to travel to Delhi to train under coach Phool Chand Sharma.
The youngster credits his coach for shaping his career. “If I am playing cricket today it is because of Phool Chand sir.”
Moving to Delhi came with its own challenges. “When I went to Delhi, my father had given me Rs 24,000 with great difficulty. I don’t even know how that money got over in the first month.”
During those early days, his father often had to rely on help from friends and acquaintances to cover the costs of Mangesh’s training and living expenses.
Phool Chand Sharma recalled how difficult the situation was when he first met the young bowler. “Mangesh was staying with someone in Delhi. I saw that he was a good bowler, but he didn’t even have enough to eat. I told him to come and stay at the hostel. That’s where his journey really began. I don’t care if someone has money or not. If the player is good, he can come, eat, stay, and practice.”
Like many young cricketers chasing a dream, Mangesh also went through a phase where he briefly lost focus. “I had started becoming lazy. One day sir called me and told me to pack my bag and go home. After some time, I apologised and told him it wouldn’t happen again. Then I realised what I was missing and what I had. I looked at my family and thought, Dad is working so hard. Everyone is so dedicated for me.”
Determined not to waste the opportunity, the pacer threw himself back into hard work. He played in the DDCA league, participated in local tournaments, and even attended the UP Under-19 camp. Despite the effort, the next big step remained frustratingly out of reach.
His father remembered those difficult moments vividly. “There were times he would go all the way to a selection camp, and he would be told his name had been called by mistake. Those were the days I felt helpless, like I had made a grave mistake by giving my son this dream.”
The breakthrough eventually came in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League, where Mangesh picked up 14 wickets in just six matches at an impressive average of 12.00. His performances earned him opportunities in domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh, where he also shared the dressing room with RCB captain Rajat Patidar.
Soon after, the long-awaited call arrived from Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
At the franchise trials, his ability to bowl in different match situations caught the attention of the team management. “At the trials, DK [Dinesh Karthik] sir came up to me and said, ‘You are bowling well. Now show me this ball.’ He made me bowl in different situations; with the new ball, the fifth over, the tenth over, the fourteenth over, and even the eighteenth and twentieth overs. It was surprising for me to see how a player at that level thinks.”
After being picked at the auction, Mangesh’s first thought was to thank the coach who had stood by him through the toughest phases of his career. “When I came back to the club, I just wanted to meet him and touch his feet, thank him for trusting me and investing so much.”
For the Yadav family, the moment was deeply emotional. Years of sacrifice and faith had finally borne fruit. “When my father supported me in cricket, my extended family and society thought he was a fool, that I would be ruined. I am just happy. That’s what makes me emotional, my father can now walk with pride.”
His father echoed the sentiment with quiet pride. “I never thought a truck driver could get so much respect. Mangesh has done more for me than I could ever ask him.”