Chapter 9: Off The Bench
Aryan woke up a bit earlier than usual to complete his daily task.
"Ding."
[Host has completed daily task]
+ 2 Stat points
+ 300 LP
Aryan, with sweat dripping down his forehead, checked his personal information.
"Max," he said, as the screen appeared before him.
[PLAYER INFO]
NAME: ARYAN SHARMA
AGE: 14 (4 MONTHS TO 15)
HEIGHT: 1.78m (5'10")
PROFESSION: CRICKETER
STATUS: ACADEMY PLAYER
TEAM: Mumbai Youth Cricket Academy
SYSTEM EVALUATION: Youth Prospect
PLAYER RATING: 64/100
POSITION: Fast-Bowling All-Rounder
POTENTIAL: 87
LEGEND POINTS: 5600/10,000 to LV 3
STAT POINTS: 2
[STATS]
Speed: 70
Footwork: 61
Spatial Awareness: 64 [+4]
Technique: 63
Batting: 62
Bowling: 61 [+1]
Physical Strength: 64
Weak Zone Proficiency: 3 stars
Shot Creativity: 4 stars
[SKILLS POSSESSED]
Cover Drive: 85% Completion
Helicopter Shot: 50% Completion
Switch Hit: 70% Completion
Reverse Paddle: 50% Completion
Aryan looked at his stats and was very happy with them. He went inside and washed the sweat from his body. He changed into his school uniform before going down for breakfast.
After breakfast, his mom drove both him and his sister to school. "Have a nice day, Aryan," Priya said.
"You too, Mum, and don't forget my kit bag when you come to pick me up after school." Aryan said as his mum drove off.
He walked with his sister before they both departed to their respective classes. Aryan couldn't focus in class the whole day and was caught not paying attention or just daydreaming multiple times.
"Mr. Sharma, being the top of the class doesn't warrant such behavior, so I hope you pay attention," Mrs. Rodriguez, Aryan's Physics teacher, said. She was a strict teacher who didn't care much for sports.
Aryan scratched his head while laughing sheepishly. The rest of the day went by, same as usual.
"And so class, we will be having our mock test next week, so I hope you prepare adequately before you come," Mr. Jonas, the Math teacher, said as the bell rang simultaneously.
Aryan quickly packed his stuff before going out. He saw that his mother had arrived a bit earlier, and he was happy at the thought of not waiting for her. He got in and saw that his sister was already in the car.
"Huh, you're here early," Aryan said to his sister. Priya drove to the Mumbai Youth Academy grounds and parked the car in the parking lot.
She was surprised to see that a decent number of cars were parked there, but luckily there was space for her. Aryan got out and headed towards the team dressing room while Priya and Riya walked towards the stands.
Aryan was one of the players that had arrived earlier as he walked into the dressing room to see a handful of players who lived nearby. Aryan quickly changed into his match whites and went outside for a warm-up session before the game. After a brief net session and fielding drills.
The players went back to their dressing room for the tactical session. Coach Deshmukh laid it all on the whiteboard and told the players the roles they would be playing. The players put on their blue and gold jerseys of the Mumbai Youth Academy and went out.
'Welcome to the Mumbai Youth Academy grounds, and I'm your commentator, Gautam Bhogle.'
The commentator went on to introduce the players and gave a brief summary of what had happened before the break, with the Mumbai Youth Academy currently in 6th place on the points table out of 18 teams.
'The Mumbai team has a few new faces as some of the young guns that were playing very good cricket have been called up to the U19 state team. This really weakens the Mumbai side, but I still think they are the favorites for this match as Rizvi Springfield is just one place above the last team.'
The commentator finally announced the lineups.
"Mumbai Youth Academy" Lineup:
Openers: Arjun Kapoor, Rohan Verma
Top Order: Vikram Singh, Manoj Tiwary
Middle Order: Kabir Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Joseph Adeyemi
Bowlers: Ashish Nehra (Jr.), Varun Aaron (Jr.), Sergio Bala (WK), Juan Cabello
"Rizvi Springfield" Lineup:
Openers: Balogun Chalo, Christian Ndiya
Middle Order: Emery Ramos, Marco Alonso, Alex Herrera, Inigo Martinez
Bowlers: Ben Joseph, Dmitri Sulvan, Kike Pena, Vano Chi
With this, the match began as the umpire signaled play.
First Innings: Rizvi Springfield Batting
Over 5.2
In the 6th over, the Rizvi team, which had been the better team so far, capitalized on a mistake by one of the Mumbai bowlers. Their opener, Balogun, took the ball on the full toss, stepping out to the pitch of the ball before smashing it over the covers. His shot was met by a timely connection, sending the ball soaring over the boundary rope.
'Six! A wonderfully timed shot by Balogun. Six overs gone, Rizvi is 50 for no loss.'
Coach Deshmukh stood on the boundary line, annoyed by the petty mistake his bowler had made serving up a full toss.
Over 10.4
'The ball is with the Rizvi midfielder—I mean, batsman Inigo. He decides to take on the spinner and steps out against Mumbai's Ravi, laid to wait by a beautiful change of pace. Inigo, driving forward with the bat, steps into the line. He tries to sweep—but uh. A mistimed tackle—I mean, a massive No-Ball siren goes off as the bowler oversteps. The umpire points to the side. Free Hit.'
Coach Deshmukh was furious on the boundary line but kept his composure because of the parents in the stands. The match had a wonderful turnout as a lot of people came to watch the match. And he didn't want to do anything to make himself stand out in a bad way.
He watched as Balogun, the Rizvi striker, stepped up and slotted the Free Hit ball coolly into the stands for another massive six.
'Oh, a wonderful turn of events. 15 overs played, Rizvi 140 for 2. Mumbai is in trouble.'
Coach Deshmukh was very angry, but that was not all. In the last overs of the first innings, his fielder Marcos twisted his ankle, which added to his woes.
The umpire removed the bails, signaling the end of the 1st Innings. Rizvi finished on 190/4 in 20 Overs.
"What the heck was that? Poor coordination, holding onto the ball—I mean, leaking runs in dangerous situations which could be easily solved if you stuck to the line. You guys have played shitty today," Coach Deshmukh laid it all on the floor for the players, criticizing both players and even the bench for not showing good morale.
This made Aryan, who was in the corner of the room, laugh a bit.
"This won't do. Aryan, go out and warm up. You are coming in as the Impact Player for Marcos," Coach Deshmukh said.
Aryan, who was drinking water, spat it out as he heard this.
"Okay, Coach," he said before going onto the pitch.
Aryan on the pitch was practicing shots with some of his teammates during the innings break. He kept looking around a bit before he saw his mother. He waved as his mother also saw him.
"Riya, look, it's your brother," Priya said as she waved. Riya, who was on the phone, looked up and smiled briefly and said, "I think he will be batting in the second innings."
"Oh wow," Priya exclaimed.
The players came out for the second innings with Aryan taking the kit with the number 21 on the back.
'Oh, I see a change on the Mumbai side as number 21 comes on for Marcos as the Impact Player. I think his name is Aryan Sharma,' the commentator said while looking at the player info on Aryan's sheet. 'Just 14 years of age. He doesn't look like it, but he's young. Let's hope he can revitalize this Mumbai side.'
Aryan stepped onto the pitch with smiles all over his face. He settled into the dugout, waiting for his turn to bat as the coach had switched him to bat at Number 4.
Second Innings: Mumbai Batting
Over 0.1
The umpire restarted the match.
The Mumbai players came out rejuvenated, but the Rizvi bowlers were fierce. Mumbai lost two quick wickets in the powerplay. The score was 30/2.
Aryan walked in. One could see that there was one player who stood out from the others. This was none other than Aryan. After coming on, he stabilized the innings and was sometimes also helping the non-striker with calls, snuffing out run-out chances here and there.
The match was all Rizvi in the first few overs of the chase as they attacked relentlessly. Although these attacks amounted to nothing as Aryan was shouting instructions while controlling the tempo.
This went on for a while before Aryan pressured the Rizvi bowler into making a mistake. Seeing an opportunity, Aryan took it.
Over 12.4
'Aryan from the Mumbai team, who after coming on has played very good, stabilizing the Mumbai innings. Aryan goes to challenge for the ball—he steps out to the spinner. Beautiful shot as he takes the ball on the half-volley. Aryan pushes forward for a quick two. What a beautiful combination of pace and control as he worms his way through the Rizvi fielders, evading a run-out.
Aryan... uh—beautiful call for a run to Adeyemi (Joseph). Adeyemi takes control of the strike. He steps into the line and shoots—I mean, smashes it!'
"Siixxxxx!"
'Beautiful rotation from Aryan to Adeyemi, who shoots the ball to the back of the stands. Mumbai pulls one back. 22 balls till the end of regulation time, Mumbai needs 40 runs.'
Scoreboard: Mumbai 151/3.
Coach Deshmukh pumped his fist into the air. He was really having a tough time after his team went on the backfoot. Now he was a bit relieved. "Aryan truly is a beast. How did he even spot that gap for the single to give Joseph the strike?" Coach Deshmukh thought, as the angle really didn't favor Aryan's vision, but he made the call beautifully.
The celebrations were cut short as the umpire signaled the Mumbai team to return for him to restart the match.
Over 15.1
The match restarted again.