He is an Indian cricket player well-known for his use of left-arm unorthodox spin bowling. Yadav's father supported his love of cricket and saw potential in him, which is how he got his start in the game. He plays for India and Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. He was signed by the Delhi Capitals for the Indian Premier League. He was part of the Indian squad which won the 2018 Asia Cup and the 2023 Asia Cup.

Yadav faced difficulties in his early cricket career. He contemplated quitting the sport after being rejected by the Uttar Pradesh under-15 squad. However, he soon attracted the attention of IPL teams and went on to play with the likes of Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. In 2022, Yadav's IPL career was extended with the Delhi Capitals, where he won several player-of-the-match honors.

Yadav made his name with the Indian Under-19 cricket squad on the international front, most notably playing in the 2014 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. Making his Test debut against Australia in 2017, he became the first left-arm wrist-spin bowler to represent India in Test cricket, marking his breakthrough. Against the West Indies in 2017, he made his ODI and T20I debuts. In 2017, he became the third bowler from India to complete a hat-trick in an ODI against Australia. Then, in 2018, he became the first left-arm wrist-spin bowler to take five wickets in a T20I against England.

His 2018 ODI performance against England cemented his reputation even more, as he broke previous records for the highest bowling numbers ever recorded by a left-arm spinner in an ODI. In 2018, Yadav achieved his first five-wicket haul against the West Indies.

Yadav was included in India’s ODI team for the 2023 tour of the Caribbean and was retained in the team for the Asia Cup that year.