Hailing from Garhwal, Doval has excellent credentials as 'Operation Man'. He made a name for himself as a field operative during the Mizoram rebellion, where he overpowered the rebel leader, Laldenga. In 1989, he led an Intelligence Bureau (IB) team with the Punjab Police and the National Security Guard during 'Operation Black Thunder' to flush out terrorists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Throughout the years, he headed several important teams within the IB, including those with prominent operations against Islamic terrorism in India. He also led the team formed after the 1993 Mumbai blasts to apprehend underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim.