Yadav is expected to make the starting XI in the Test at Pallekele starting Saturday in place of Jadeja, who was handed a one-match ban for dangerous play in India’s last Test against Sri Lanka.
The 22-year-old spinner made an impressive Test debut against Australia in India in March before going on to claim eight wickets in five one-day international appearances between June and July against the West Indies.
“If I get a chance to play in Sri Lanka I will be very happy because I have been working hard and this will be a result of that. So obviously excited,” Yadav told reporters.
“But also there is nervousness that I should be able to perform.”
Yadav joined the squad for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka, but the presence of world-number one Test bowler Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin denied him a slot in the starting lineup.
Despite being overshadowed, the Kanpur-born player said exposure to these two star spinners had served him well.
“Definitely you will have to wait for your chance if the number-one and number-two spinners are in the same squad as you,” said Yadav.
“It is good that I have worked with them and I have been in the team with them for last 6-7 months... I try to stay with them mostly and keep talking to them and they help me a lot.”
Yadav, one of the few left-arm unorthodox spinners alongside Sri Lanka’s Lakshan Sandakan and South African Tabraiz Shamsi, said the style was gaining in popularity.
“When I started there were hardly any,” he said, adding cricket academies were honing more unorthodox bowlers.
“It is a happy feeling that people have recognised this skill.”