Chapter 14: Trial Day [4]
Both captain went to the field for coin toss and coach in Middle who will toss the coin.
Coach look at both captain,and said.
"Boys tell your side of the coin "
"Head" said by Anil.
Coach toss the coin up , the coin fell on the ground and it surface was' Head'.
Coach looks at Anil asked what he will decide.
"Batting or Bowling".
Anil didn't waste his time and directly tell his decision." Batting".
After that both captain shake there hand and went to field.
Anil and Wasim were the opener batsman of Team B.
Vikram hand over the first over to Raj from Team A. Raj is a left handed spinner bowler.
Anil and his patner defend and strike amazing shots , by the 6 over we get our first wicket, Anil and his partnership got 37 run in 6 Over. Game continues they got a reasonable score of 110 in 20 overs.
[ Run 110/4 ( 20 Over ) [ Last Six balls [2-1-0-6-4-0]
Finally Team A batting turn came.
Vikram, who was the opener the batsman and he appeared as to prove his superiority and his talent.
The bowler deliver his first ball is a short length ball - Vikram strike a straight drive - Six.
Second ball is a yorker - Vikram play a square drive shot and the ball went out of the boundary - a six again.
[ Run: 12 /0 (0.2 Over )] Last six balls : [ 6-6]
Vikram continuous shots of two sixes show his heroic entry as a opener.
On the third ball he attempted to strike another sixer.
But he miss judge the ball as a shot ball and he went out his crease to strike but the ball was a yorker , then ball went behind him , taking a stamp out of his wicket.
[ Run: 12/1 (0.3 Over )] Last six balls : [ 6-6-W]
Vikram walk out of his crease in a frustrated manner when he reach the bench he threw his bat in ground with anger.
The highest-order, which attempted to make a break into the team, executed careless shots and sacrificed their wickets.
Raghav, who was sitting on the sidelines with his pads on who was looking the scoreboard in horror expressions. Because after Vikram wicket our team downfall started.
[ Run: 35/3 (4.1Over )] Last six balls : [ 0-]
Now the batsman who was in the crease was named shubam, he class 8 students. Shubam was ready to strike as the ball came and he strike a cut shot but didn't reach boundary as it was caught by fielder.
Coach Sarma raised his hand pointing his finger, showing his decision Out as a Umpire.
[ Run: 35/4 (4.2Over )] Last six balls : [ 0-W]
Vikram look at his team sides and said.
"Roi! You're in!"
The heart of Raghav jumped in his neck as soon as he heard that it was his turn to play.
He pick up his bat he walked to the crease with his legs wobbly and full of confidence.
The situation was dire in this match now.
His team had merely scored 35 runs with a little less than 4 overs, and only six wickets were left.
In public view it is a 70-30 match outcome situation.
Team B fielders were cheering themselves as feeling like they were winning.
He disregarded them all as he took his position.
He recalled his plumbing on the nets and how he survive.
His other partner at the other end was Rohan, a steady and well behaved boy in his class who was the team's best wicket keeper.
"Play steady, just play steady, keep it down...just take one run and I will take the scoring responsibility,"Rohan said, at the non striker end.
"They're bowling well.....We should simply attempt to form a team. "
His high IQ in Cricket gave Raghav a sea of calculations in his head as he nodded.
He examined the placements in the field. He watched the bowler's grip.
It was a few balls at first which he only defended, and got a feel of the pitch.
He didn't try to score. He simply did his best to save his wicket as though his life was at stake.
Much more gradually he and Rohan began to rebuild.
They had to push the ball into the gap of the fielder and we take singles run.
[ Run: 31/4(3.2Over )] Last six balls : [ 1-1]
They ran away on one side and two-tailed ones.
The score-board started to run over, the pace needed gradually decreased.
[ Run: 36/4(4.3Over )] Last six balls : [ 0-W-1]
Raghav was not smacking boundaries, he was spinning the strike, which provided the more aggressive Rohan with the opportunity to smack the occasional loose ball.
He had gone on to bat about five overs when the captain of the opposing side, Anil, introduced a spinner.
[ Run 67/4 ( 14.0Over ) [ Last six balls [ ]
The boy made a weird move and his first ball to Raghav was an overhanded one and the ball flew into the air.
A majority of 12 year olds would have been tempted to run down the pitch and smash it.
Something was understood by my 42-year-old brain of Raghav with its database of thousands of hours of viewed cricket.
The wrist position. The manner the ball was thrown out of the hand.
"It is a googly ball ," his head shouted as that a delivery by the bowler of a googly ball. "A wrong'un. It would turn the other way."
He adjusted in a split second. Rather than playing on the off-break, he stood and swung a straight bat hoping the ball would turn in.
Indeed the ball struck and turned one way and the other with a sharp stroke of his leg and struck the very middle of his bat. It fell down on the field.
Everyone on the field went silent and they look at Raghav.
[ Run 73/4 ( 14.1Over ) [ Last six balls [6- ]
Rohan, the bowler also stare at Raghav because he was unable to believe what he is seeing because just yesterday, Raghav was unable to strike his normal ball but not not only a shot a flying six...in his googly Ball.
On the other side , Raghav standing in crease with confusion look in eyes, like ' what happened, why stare at me '.
Mr. Sharma had been watching, with a critical eye, on the sidelines, and had started to his feet. He had seen it clearly.
'A boy of twelve that had been technically inept in his handling balls at the nets session yesterday but now he had just read a googly ball delivery by the same hands of the bowler.....but this time he handled it like an expert.'
' It was unheard of because It was not a skill, but something beyond that, instinct, intelligence.'
Those few seconds transformed everything to Raghav. There was a rush of unbuffered, raw faith with him.
He knew he could do this. He began to play with his feet as well, receiving the ball with a new amount of confidence.
He struck a clean drive on the covers to get his first boundary and it was timed. He threw the succeeding ball over the slips to another four.
[ Run 77/4 ( 14.2Over ) [ Last six balls [6-4 ]
He partnered with Rohan who had added more than 12 runs leading their team to the verge of winning when Rohan was run out.
[ Run 92/5 ( 18.5 Over ) [ Last Six balls [ 0-2-1-W]
Raghav was not out but want play over with his patner. He had performed a match winning innings when under extreme pressure.
Last ball of the over deliver and the got single.
[ Run 93/5 ( 18.5 Over ) [ Last Six balls [0-2-1-W-1]
Finally Last over, bowler ball is first ball of the last over with a yorker.
Raghav strike a on drive shot towards the mid- off but the fielder was fast and stop ball from a being a 4.
.
Raghav and his patner Nadim didn't take run on last ball.
[ Run 93/5 ( 18.6 Over ) [ Last Six balls [0-2-1-W-1-0]
(19 Over )
Nadim on strike crease , the ball came but he missed his shot and it is a dot ball.
[ Run 93/5 ( 19.1 Over ) [ Last Six balls [0-]
Second ball — Nadim strike a cover drive shot but the cover fielder stop ball and it is a dot ball.
[ Run 93/5 ( 19.2 Over ) [ Last Six balls [0-0]
Third ball -– Nadim strike a square leg shot and the fielder from Deep Square Leg came forward running to stop the ball and he stop it.
So we took a single and I am at striker position.
[ Run 94/5 ( 19.3 Over ) [ Last Six balls [0-0-1]
Fourth Ball – I saw it was a Length ball, so I waited for ball and I shot a powerful On drive, the ball went out the boundary.
Umpire raised his both hand pointing finger upward, as a sign of Six.
[ Run 100/5 ( 19.4 Over ) [ Last Six balls [0-0-1-6]
Fifth ball — It was a yorker , I strike a ball to Third man square side . I start to take run and we manage to take a single.
[ Run 101/5 ( 19.5 Over ) [ Last Six balls [0-0-1-6-1]
Nadim was on striker and the ball came he sweep his bat to strike and he hit the ball it went up but not fly towards the boundary.....it went straight up and the the bowler catch ball and out him.
[ Run 101/6 ( 20 Over ) [ Last Six balls [0-0-1-6-1-W]
Match is over :-
Team B : Run 110/4 ( 20 Over )
Team A: Run 101/6 ( 20 Over )
____________
He walked off the field with bat upheld and his team mates gave him an applause on the back. Vikram himself gave him a reluctant respect. He had earned it.
Afterwards, Mr. Sharma nailed the list to the notice board. It contained fifteen names. Raghav now pressed about and his heart now throbs.
He scanned the final list 15 player and his name was there at the very center.
8.Raghav Roi – Batsman
He had done it..... He was a member of the school cricket team. This was followed by a feeling of emotion so strong that make him more happiest.
He remembered the words of doubt of his father, his own promise. This was the first real step.
_____________________
(Raghav House )
By 1 o'clock his practice finish.
He open his house main gate and hurriedly burst through the entrance door and enter with a shout.
"Ma! Papa! I got selected! I'm on the school team!"
A broad proud smile came on the face of his mother. Priya raised her eyes out of her books with real shock.
"Wow. I suppose it was worth having all that old man walking," priya said, which was an uncharacteristic praise.
His father Umesh was sitting at the table reciting household accounts. He checked the list, and looked at the smiling, dirty covered faced with lively expression face of his son.
He did not smile, but the hard lines on his mouth were smoothed out in his face.
"Good," he said and voice sound tell us that he genuinely happy for raghav.
"Just don't forget our pervious our deal that is don't let your studies suffer along with your playing."
I nodded to his advice because he knows that his father still prefer studies more than his cricket career but one thing make him happy and build his confidence once again. That is his father started to acknowledging his hardwork and his efforts.
I knew this is just that start I have to prove it in more convenience way.
(To be Continue)