CHAPTER 44: THE FIRST TEST

Chapter 44: The First Test

The vast, concrete bowl of Nehru Stadium felt hollow. The cheers of the two dozen teammates from each side were the only sounds, echoing in the 9 AM stillness.

Raghav jogged to his position at Deep Fine Leg. His new Fielding stat of 11.0 was not just a number; it was a feeling. He felt lighter on his feet. He felt his perception change. His experienced mind, the one that had watched thousands of hours of cricket, was no longer trapped in a clumsy, slow body. The 12-year-old’s hardware was starting to catch up. He crouched, his eyes on the batsmen.

At the crease, the two Sivasagar openers, Akhil (the captain) and Bikash, looked exactly as Sarma had described. They were "scrappers." They weren’t wearing new, pristine pads. Their equipment was worn, their bats were old, and they looked tough.

Rohan, Kamrup’s captain, set his field. It was an aggressive, opening field.

Aakash, the wicketkeeper, took his position, his movements precise and quiet.

Sahil, the medium-pace In-swinger, was at the top of his mark.

"Play!" the umpire commanded.

[Score: 0/0. Target (Kamrup): - ]

Sahil ran in, his action short and bustling.

[Ball 0.1] His first ball was a "sighter." Good Length, on the Off-Stump. Akhil, the Sivasagar captain, just watched it go by, his bat raised. A confident leave.

[Ball 0.2] Sahil adjusted his line. He delivered his specialty. The In-swinger. It started wide and jagged back in. Akhil, showing his "scrapper" nature, didn’t play a pretty shot. He just brought his bat down, a stiff-legged, awkward-looking push, and nudged the ball to Mid-Wicket. No run.

[Ball 0.3] Sahil, seeing his awkwardness, tried the In-swinger again. This time, Akhil was ready. He stepped across his stumps and "clipped" the ball, a wristy, powerful shot.

It was not timed perfectly, but he had hit it hard.

The ball was racing towards Raghav at Fine Leg.

It was his first test.

The old Raghav, with his ’8’ in fielding, would have been slow to react. He would have fumbled.

The new Raghav, with ’11’, moved.

His seasoned mind instantly calculated the angle. He didn’T run at the ball; he ran to intercept it. His movements were efficient. He didn’t break stride. He bent, scooped the ball cleanly with his right hand, and in one fluid motion, stood and fired the ball back to the wicketkeeper, Aakash.

His Iron Grip and new Strength made the throw flat and fast.

The Sivasagar batsmen, who were fast and aggressive, had already run two. They saw the throw and, thinking it was a 12-year-old’s arm, turned for a third.

Aakash, seeing the throw coming, took his position. The ball bounced once, perfectly, into his gloves.

THWACK.

He whipped the bails off.

"HOW’S THAT?!" he screamed.

The non-striker, Bikash, had been forced into a desperate dive. The umpire’s eyes went to the crease.

Bikash had just... just... dragged his bat over the line.

"Not out," the umpire said, his voice calm.

The batsmen had completed three runs. But the message was sent.

Rohan, from Mid-Off, clapped his hands. "GOOD ARM, RAGHAV! GOOD STOP! ONE LESS!"

It was a small, professional gesture of respect. Raghav just nodded, his heart beating a steady, cold rhythm. ’My arm strength is still weak,’ he thought. ’That should have been a two.’

[Score: 3/0. Batsmen: Akhil 3*, Bikash 0*]

Sahil finished his over. Bikash, the other opener, blocked the last few balls.

Now, Coach Sarma’s first gamble.

He brought on Utpal, the leg-spinner, from the other end. Spin with the new ball.

[Ball 1.1] Utpal tossed his first ball up. It was a big, looping Leg-Break.

Akhil, the "scrapper," saw the slow ball and his eyes lit up. He was not a "textbook" player. He was a "hitter."

He went for a massive, agricultural Slog over Mid-Wicket, his feet planted.

He missed. Completely.

The ball, buzzing with spin, ripped past his bat. Aakash, the keeper, moved beautifully, taking it cleanly.

"WOAAAAH!" Aakash yelled, a sound of pure appreciation for the spin.

The Sivasagar captain’s face flushed. He’d been made to look foolish.

[Ball 1.2] Utpal, seeing the aggression, tossed it up again. This time, Akhil connected, but he was swinging so hard, he got a thick Inside Edge. The ball squirted, ugly, to Square Leg. A single.

[Score: 4/0. Batsmen: Akhil 4*, Bikash 0*]

[Ball 1.3] Bikash was on strike. Utpal, clever, bowled his Googly.

Bikash, like his captain, had no idea. He played for the Leg-Break, but the ball turned in. It beat his bat and slammed into his pad.

"HOWZAT!" the Kamrup team roared.

The umpire shook his head. The ball, he signaled, was missing the stumps.

The Sivasagar openers were rattled. They were swinging, they were missing. They were all at sea.

[Ball 1.4-1.6] Bikash just blocked out the rest of the over. He was terrified.

[Score: 4/0. Overs: 2.0]

The Kamrup team was electric. They were on.

"YES, BOYS! YES, UTPAL!" Rohan a_s_s. "THIS IS IT!"

But the Sivasagar batsmen were "scrappers." And scrappers, when they’re embarrassed, don’t play pretty. They survive.

The game found a new, hard rhythm.

Akhil and Bikash stopped swinging. They put their heads down. They were showing their grit.

Sahil ran in. They blocked.

Utpal ran in. They blocked.

They weren’t scoring. But they weren’t getting out.

They pushed the ball into gaps, using their "scrapper" mentality to run everything hard. They turned singles into twos. They ran at the slightest misfield.

The Kamrup bowlers, Sahil and Utpal, were getting frustrated. They were bowling well, but the batsmen were just... there. They were like a pair of annoying rocks.

The score crawled.

11/0 after 3 overs.

19/0 after 4. Sahil gave up a boundary, a thick Outside Edge from Akhil that flew, luckily, past the Gully fielder.

24/0 after 5. Utpal was tight.

31/0 after 6. Sahil was starting to get tired. His In-swing was gone.

35/0 after 7. The partnership was solid. Akhil was 19. Bikash was 12. They had weathered the new ball. The fielders were starting to droop. The 9 AM energy was gone.

Rohan, Rishi, and Aakash converged at the end of the 7th over.

"They’re set," Rohan said, his voice tight. He was showing his frustration. "Sahil, your swing is gone. Utpal, they’re just blocking you. They’re not taking any chances."

"They’re not trying to hit, Captain," Aakash said, his analytical eyes sharp. "They’re just... waiting. They’re trying to see off our main bowlers. They’re waiting for the ’easy’ part."

From the boundary line, Coach Sarma saw it. The team was flat. The momentum was gone. He needed to change the energy.

He didn’t yell. He just signaled.

He looked at Rohan, then pointed to Utpal, who was at the top of his run-up. Sarma gave a sharp "cut" signal. ’You’re done.’

Then, his arm moved, his finger uncurling.

He pointed to the outfield.

He pointed at the 17th man, the boy at Fine Leg.

He pointed at Raghav.

Rohan saw the signal. His head turned. He looked at Raghav.

"Raghav! You’re on! Get the ball! Sahil, you take Fine Leg!"

Raghav’s heart didn’t "pound." His pulse didn’t "race." His seasoned mind just went cold and quiet.

’It’s time.’

He started to jog in, his face calm.

The rest of the team was... confused. Rajat, sitting on the sideline, his ankle propped up, actually scoffed. "Now? He’s bringing in the kid? When the batsmen are set? Is he trying to lose?"

Chinmoy, the all-rounder Raghav had replaced, just shook his head, his face a mask of bitter resentment.

Raghav reached the center. Rohan was waiting for him.

"This is it," Rohan said, his voice low, professional. "I don’t care what you did in the nets. I need a wicket. I need you to break this partnership. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Raghav said.

He took the ball from the umpire. It was not the old, scuffed-up net ball. This was the real, hard, white leather match ball. The seam was still new, sharp.

He felt it in his hand. The Iron Grip closed around it. It felt perfect.

He looked at the field.

Rohan was already one step ahead. "What do you want?"

Raghav’s mind, the one with 25.7 Cricket IQ, analyzed the batsmen. ’They’re scrappers. They hit with their hands, not their feet. They hate the ball they can’t ’slog.’’

"Keep Aakash up," Raghav said, his voice quiet, but firm.

Rohan’s eyebrows shot up. Aakash was a keeper, but... "Up? To you? You’re not a spinner."

"Keep him up," Raghav repeated. "And... I want a Gully. And a Short Leg."

Now the whole team was staring. Gully and Short Leg... for a medium-pacer?

Rohan was baffled. This was a "pressure" field, a "leg-spin" field.

But he had seen what Raghav had done to him. He looked at Raghav’s cold, certain eyes.

He made a captain’s decision. He trusted his gut.

"You heard him!" Rohan yelled. "Rishi, get in at Gully! Pawan, go to Short Leg!"

The batsmen, Akhil and Bikash, were watching this. They showed their confusion. A Short Leg? For this skinny kid?

Akhil, who was on strike, smiled. He tapped his bat on the crease, then pointed it at Raghav.

"Hey, kid!" he yelled, his voice friendly, but full of condescending arrogance. "You sure you’re not a bit... slow... for a field like that?"

The Sivasagar dugout laughed.

Raghav didn’t answer. He just stood at the top of his mark. He tossed the white ball in his hand.

He looked at Akhil.

He thought of his father. He thought of the Super Healing Potion.

He began his run-up.

(To be Continued)