Chapter 19: Super-Sub
Aryan, jogging onto the pitch with his helmet tucked under his arm, stopped briefly to relay the instructions Coach Kulkarni had shouted at him:
"Take it deep, don't panic."
He quickly went to the crease, marking his guard. As he stood there, tapping his bat on the popping crease, he heard the familiar 'ding' sound as the System issued a specific match quest.
[System has issued a challenge]
< Make a Difference >
Objective: Score at least 20 runs at a strike rate of 150+ or take the game to the last over and win.
Rewards:
+15 Stat Points
+10,000 Legend Points (LP)
Aryan smiled behind his helmet grille, knowing he was about to get a ton of points if he pulled this off.
[COMMENTATOR POV]
'Time is running out fast here at the Wankhede, and Mumbai U19 still requires 48 runs off 36 balls. Mumbai U19 seem to be making a tactical change here. The set batsman has been retired out—wait, no, a wicket fell during the break? No, it's the Impact Player substitution.
Aryan Sharma comes in. His profile says he is only 14 years of age. Quite young for this level. I guess Coach Kulkarni is rolling the dice, or has this young player got something special to give us?'
The commentator said as he looked at the player info on Aryan's sheet.
Aryan was told one thing by Coach Kulkarni and that was 'to make a difference'.
Aryan walked to the non-striker's end first to chat with his partner, the set batsman, Suved. He immediately shouted out instructions to Suved, intending to unsettle the Gujarat fielders who were closing in.
"They are nervous! Look at the gaps!" Aryan yelled.
The Gujarat players didn't disappoint and tried to break through the Mumbai U19's concentration with chatter.
Bhavesh, one of Gujarat U19's aggressive fast bowlers, tried to intimidate Aryan after noticing that the latter was young and looked like a schoolboy.
Taking advantage of the player's underestimation, Aryan prepared to face him. Bhavesh steamed in and bowled a vicious bouncer. Aryan, anticipating it, quickly ducked—but not before stepping out and upper-cutting it over the keeper!
It wasn't a textbook shot; it was a cheeky steer.
Bhavesh, who thought it was a fluke, went livid as the umpire signaled a boundary.
"Umpire! That was a lucky edge!" Bhavesh screamed, frustrated.
The umpire shook his head and signaled four runs. Aryan, after taking the boundary, slowed down the tempo of his breathing, intending to excite the Gujarat players into making errors.
Aryan constantly looked around the field, trying to find any edge that they could take over the opponents. He noticed the fine leg was up inside the circle.
Aryan still couldn't find a gap immediately but continued to manipulate the field by playing soft hands.
The Mumbai U19 players started playing smart ones and twos. This struck a nerve in the Gujarat players as the Mumbai batsmen seemed to be toying around with them, stealing singles from right under their noses.
They still maintained their calm knowing the required run rate was creeping up. This remained until Aryan started playing a bit more flashy.
Taking on the Gujarat U19 bowlers and using flashy skill shots against them.
The last straw for the players was when Aryan played a Reverse Paddle against Bhavesh, who was already pissed at Aryan for the earlier boundary.
Aryan took the ball on the full and deftly guided it past the slip fielder, nutmegging the short third man fielder in a way—piercing the gap perfectly.
Aryan took the single and started retrieving the strike for the next over. Unconsciously, the Gujarat U19 fielders started moving forward to stop the singles.
Seeing this, Mumbai U19's striker, Suved, saw what Aryan was trying to do and started to prepare for a big shot.
Aryan, after seeing his partner's intention, whispered, "Go for the straight boundary."
The Gujarat bowlers started to bowl full to prevent singles, but Suved was a step ahead of them.
Suved, after taking a step down the track, controlled the length calmly and started his bat swing towards the sight screen.
Aryan, with his ridiculous speed, started sprinting for the run just in case.
Aryan, like a gust of wind, ran past the bowler, turning for a second run to provide support for the scoreboard if the ball didn't cross the rope.
Suved, after coming face to face with the delivery, kept his cool and chipped the ball over the bowler's head. The ball went in a high arc before crashing into the boundary cushions.
The Mumbai players in the dugout were ecstatic. Some players on the bench even stood up to applaud.L
It was still the 48th over and the match was far from over, but at this moment they had to soak in the feeling of momentum shifting.
The game had been tough on them as although they were playing better in patches, they still couldn't translate their performance into a winning position until now.
[COMMENTARY POV]
'Aryan, the new entry, after coming on has been organizing the Mumbai chase beautifully. Age doesn't really matter in cricket if you have the temperament.
Bhavesh from Gujarat tries to attack with a yorker, but a deft deflection from Aryan sees him steal a single.
He raised his hands in anger, but the umpire signals a leg bye—wait, inside edge. Runs count.
The Mumbai players are playing the ball around, but it seems the Gujarat players are settling for defending the boundaries as they've pushed their fielders back to the deep.
Aryan playing some flashy cricket, reverse-sweeping Bhavesh!
What a beautiful display of composure by the young player who doesn't even seem fazed playing with players 3 or 4 years older than him.
His flashy moves have attracted a bit of attention to himself as the Gujarat team's fielding setup starts to fall apart.
Aryan looks up and spots a gap. With a spectacular wristy flick.
He sends the ball to the mid-wicket boundary.
Oh, wonderful placement. Aryan sprints forward for two. Suved also sprints forward with speed like a cheetah to complete the run, but does he need to?
No, he doesn't, as the ball races over the rope!
What a beautiful display of individual brilliance by Aryan and Suved as they both combine to bring Mumbai closer to the target.
It's Mumbai U19 needing 12 runs off 10 balls.'
After the boundary, the Mumbai batsmen punched gloves mid-pitch.
Priya, who was a bit bored earlier when wickets were falling, suddenly erupted into cheers as Mumbai U19 scored freely.
"The player who just came on made the difference," a person standing by said.
"Yeah, I think he's going to be a very good player from the way he's batting," another added.
Priya, who heard this, felt very happy.
Riya, who didn't like to admit her feelings as she was a tsundere type of person, stood there with a proud face as her brother had made a difference in the match.
Ananya also stared on with a smile.
After the game restarted, the Mumbai U19 players played cautiously, avoiding any risky shots that could cost them a wicket.
The match seemed like it was going to the last ball. Suved got out on the second last ball of the 49th over.
Last over. 6 runs to win. Aryan on strike.
The Gujarat captain brought the field in to stop the single. The bowler, Bhavesh, ran in.
He bowled a slower ball, wide outside off.
Aryan, anticipating the slower one, waited. He shuffled across his stumps.
Trapping the ball's trajectory in his mind, he smashed the ball with a powerful lofted drive over extra cover.
The fielder at long-off stood rooted to the spot; he had no chance to save the ball as it sailed into the stands.
SIX!
The last shot by Aryan broke the morale of the Gujarat U19 players.
Coach Kulkarni stood at the boundary line and smiled. "I've also got a genius on my hands," he thought.
The Mumbai players rushed onto the field. The match ended with that six.
The two Coaches shook hands before the Gujarat coach said, "I lost to a 14-year-old kid. Hahaha."
He didn't even wait for Kulkarni to talk before walking off.
The players went around shaking hands with each other.
Aryan stood there until he heard, "Good game."
He turned around to find Bhavesh, the bowler who had sledged him earlier.
Aryan nodded before replying with a handshake.
The two players talked a bit before they both walked off to their respective dressing rooms.
When Aryan got inside the dressing room, he felt something wrong as the place was eerily quiet.
Just then, the players poured a cooler full of ice water on him.
Aryan felt chills but couldn't help but laugh.
Coach Kulkarni told the kids to be seated before handing over a towel to Aryan.
(To be Continued)