Chapter 23:Bhopal U19 [Pt 2]
Many hours later, the team bus arrived at the home ground of Bhopal U19.
The players got out and made their way to the dressing room as the match was going to begin in an hour.
They stretched a bit to get rid of any tense muscles that might have surfaced due to the number of hours they spent sitting in the bus.
The players gradually came out to do a bit of net practice and fielding drills, trying to get a good feel for the pitch before they started the match.
While on the pitch, the home crowd cheered for the Bhopal team. The noise they made was very loud for a zonal game. The home ground of Bhopal U19 seemed to be packed with locals supporting their boys.
The players went inside the dressing room after the official signaled that the match toss was to happen in 15 minutes.
"Hear that sound? That's the sound of people who want us to bottle it today. Don't let it get to you. Play like men possessed and let's win this match. Are you with me?" Coach Kulkarni said as the boys erupted into cheers.
The players came out, and the ground was packed. The match was a fight between table leaders and had attracted a bit of attention as some local news stations were here.
The captains went for the toss. Mumbai lost the toss, and Bhopal U19 elected to Bowl First, putting Mumbai in to bat on a sticky wicket.
The players, after the pleasantries and national anthem, got into their positions. The umpires looked at their watches and signaled the start of the match.
First Innings: Mumbai Batting
The Bhopal U19 bowlers started the match aggressively. With lightning-fast pace and swing, they had already breached the defense of the Mumbai openers.
Mumbai's opener, Arjun Kapoor, tried to get back to the crease after a risky single attempt but was blocked by a Bhopal player, Kuldeep Singh, who chose to stand in his line to prevent him from grounding his bat.
The umpire, who was blindsided or perhaps biased, let the match continue. Coach Kulkarni and the other players who saw this from the dugout were livid.
"Obstruction! That's obstruction!" they kept shouting, but the umpire didn't mind.
The Bhopal players got into the head of the Mumbai team. In the 3rd Over, a Bhopal pacer bowled a delivery that clearly pitched outside leg.
The ball rapped the Mumbai opener, Rohan, on the pads..
The players appealed frantically.
The umpire raised his finger instantly. Out!
The Bhopal players celebrated frantically.
The umpire accepted the wicket and moved on. The Mumbai players were furious. It was a terrible decision.
Coach Kulkarni was fuming on the boundary line. Bad umpiring had just cost his team a crucial wicket.
The Mumbai players quickly tried to stabilize after the new batsman, Vikram, walked in.
They tried to give an early reply with boundaries, but the Bhopal team was compact in the field and was not giving anything away.
The wicket by the Bhopal team was taken just after the match had started, putting Mumbai on the back foot immediately.
30 minutes after the first wicket fell, Mumbai got a chance to counter-attack.
Aryan, who had walked in at Number 4 after another quick wicket, decided to take matters into his own hands. Aryan, with his very good skillset, went solo and attacked the Bhopal spinners.
He stepped out to the spinner, Yadav, and drove him through the covers.
He continued his run, pushing for a second run, calling his partner Vikram.
Vikram didn't look back after receiving the call.
The fielder threw the ball to the keeper's end. Aryan saw the throw coming.
Aryan slowed down—no, he sped up! He dove into the crease just as the bails were whipped off.
"Not Out," signaled the square leg umpire.
Next ball. Aryan faced the pacer. He saw the field placement. He moved across his stumps.
The Bhopal players breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was going to defend.
Aryan, with lightning-fast hand speed, got to the ball before smacking it with all his frustration.
CRACK!
The ball went in a knuckleball movement—a flat six—before it crashed into the sight screen.
The Mumbai players all celebrated from the dugout. The match was not going so well for them as the umpire decided to ignore the blatant blocking and sledging of the opposition team, and the six had given them the opportunity to vent.
Coach Kulkarni on the sidelines breathed a sigh of relief.
The umpire signaled a replacement ball after the Mumbai U19 players got back to their stance.
The Mumbai players, taking advantage of their momentum, quickly pressed on with the scoring rate.
Over 15
Through constant pressure and rotating the strike, the Bhopal team started to lose their line and length against the Mumbai batsmen.
After they got the momentum, the Mumbai U19 decided to play grounded shots for a bit.
The match was currently moving too fast for their possession-style cricket—I mean, steady accumulation.
Aryan, serving as a conductor, controlled the game's tempo and gave out a bit of instruction to Vikram.
With a quick single and a double with Vikram, they both initiated an attack.
Vikram, with the strike, quickly looked for Aryan who was at the non-striker's end and nodded.
Vikram hit a boundary through square leg.
Aryan, with a quick release of breath, watched the next ball.
Vikram, sensing that the bowler was tired, jumped down the track.
He missed the ball. The keeper, Naman, fumbled the stumping! The ball went to the boundary for byes.
Wissam (Let's stick to Vikram/Suved) who had been quiet all day took the strike next over.
He looked up before taking a single to give the strike to Aryan.
Aryan latched onto the ball perfectly and was about to play a sweep shot before he felt the ball rise dangerously.
The Bhopal bowler, frustrated, had bowled a beamer straight at Aryan's head!
Aryan ducked just in time, falling to the ground.
The umpire signaled a No Ball, but didn't punish the player with a warning card or removal from the attack.
He just gave out a soft warning and let the player off.
The Mumbai players tried to protest, especially the non-striker Vikram who was near Aryan when the beamer was bowled and had seen everything that occurred.
The umpire, however, didn't listen but rather warned Vikram for dissent.
Aryan stood up, dusting his clothes, and pushed back the Mumbai players, trying to prevent any more trouble.
After the players had dispersed, the umpire signaled Free Hit.
The spot where the Free Hit was to be played was exactly where Aryan liked it.
Vikram was about to talk trash to the bowler, but Aryan signaled him to keep quiet.
Vikram listened to Aryan and kept quiet.
Aryan stepped up to the crease and took his stance.
The players on the Bhopal bench laughed a bit at Aryan, thinking he was shaken.
"Bro thinks he's Kohli," one player said, drawing laughs from the others.
The Free Hit delivery was about to be bowled by the spinner, Kuldeep.
Coach Kulkarni, who stood on the boundary line, knew Aryan was right-handed.
Aryan, however, stood in a position indicating that he was going to use his Switch Hit (Left-handed stance).
"Can he play left-handed as well?" thought Coach Kulkarni.
Aryan, with the bowler running up, carefully changed his grip.
He remembered Coach Kulkarni's advice on wrist power and placed the bat perfectly to sweep.
The bowler delivered the ball. Aryan swept it—no, he slog-swept it left-handed!
With a maddening curve, the ball flew over the deep square leg fielder (who was now off-side for a left-hander) and over the wall into the stands.
SIX!
Aryan, who was sure the ball would score, had already started walking towards his partner for a fist bump.
He got to the center of the pitch and looked at the area where the small group of Mumbai fans were, and he raised his bat.
"What a monster," Coach Kulkarni muttered as he stood on the touchline with his hands in the air.