Much like Anil Kumble, Bharadwaj started off as a pace bowler in school. He even played for Karnatakas under-16 side and for South Zone as an opening bowler. But when he was picked for the under-19 side, he made it as an off-spinner. M.C. Goutham, his classmate in Vijaya High School, Bangalore, now an engineer in Namtech, says: "Hes stoic and never reacts on happy occasions or even when hes facing a problem on the field. As an opening batsman (in the ninth standard), he once struck five boundaries in the first over of the match because the opposing bowler, Mahesh (of National High School), had threatened to bowl bouncers at us. Mahesh was not given the ball after that, and at the end came and apologised to us." As a student, says Goutham, Vijay was studious and was felicitated when he secured 100 out of 100 in mathematics in class ten in Vijaya High School. A commerce graduate, Vijays eminence in maths is much like that of his siblings, brother Sanjay who has an MS in engineering, and sister Rohini, a masters degree holder in mathematics.