WDCA's chase began with clarity.
The target, 196 in 40 overs was achievable, but only if the innings was handled properly. The pitch had slowed further, and reckless batting would only invite trouble.
The openers started positively but couldn't convert their starts.
One fell trying to force the pace, the other edged behind while attempting to cut too close to the body. Within the first ten overs, WDCA were already two down.
[WDCA 47/2]
Abhay walked in next, helmet on, eyes calm as ever.
At the other end stood Ashnir Sehrawat, the captain. Experienced, composed, and aware of the responsibility on his shoulders.
They didn't speak much.
The plan was simple, absorb pressure, rotate strike, and rebuild.
Ashnir took charge early, playing with authority whenever the bowlers overpitched. Abhay settled in quietly, focusing on timing rather than power. Singles were taken sharply, twos whenever the field allowed it.
LBSA tried to tighten the screws with spin.
Abhay responded with patience.
He smothered the turn, used soft hands, and never chased deliveries outside his zone. Whenever the bowler erred in length, he put it away cleanly, nothing extravagant, just precise placement.
The partnership grew steadily.
By the halfway mark, WDCA were back in control.
In the 22nd over, Ashnir finally fell.
He had moved to 43 runs, playing a captain's knock, before mistiming a lofted drive straight to long-off. The wicket brought polite applause from both sides.
[WDCA 120/3]
Abhay watched Ashnir walk back, then turned his attention to the new batter.
There was no concern, plenty of overs remained and the required rate was still comfortable.
From there, Abhay shifted gears, not aggressively, but deliberately.
He guided the middle order through the next few overs, ensuring no collapse followed the captain's dismissal. Boundaries came sporadically, runs flowed through rotation, and the fielding side began to tire.
By the 27th over, the situation was clear.
It was time to accelerate.
~
29th Over (Abhay on strike)
Ball 1: Good length outside off. Abhay leaned forward and drove through covers.
Four.
Ball 2: Shorter this time. He rocked back and punched it square.
Four.
Ball 3: Slower delivery. Abhay waited and guided it past point.
Two runs.
Ball 4: Full again. A clean swing, lifted just over the infield.
Six.
The bowler adjusted the field immediately but Abhay went back to singles for the rest of the over.
From there, the chase became straightforward.
Abhay controlled the tempo, allowing others to play around him while ensuring the asking rate never climbed. LBSA rotated their spinners desperately, but the pressure had shifted completely.
The winning runs came in the 35th over.
A simple push into the gap, followed by an easy jog for the winning single.
WDCA had done it.
[WDCA 196/4]
[34.3 OVERS]
Abhay stood mid-pitch for a moment before removing his helmet.
[ABHAY 72*]
No raised bat, just a smile quiet breath of satisfaction.
He had anchored the chase, accelerated when required, and stayed till the end. Exactly what a number four was meant to do.
The aftermath of the match was a simple affair.
With so many teams participating in the league, there were no elaborate trophies for individual matches. Instead, the organizers handed out a simple gold-polished medal to the Man of the Match.
Abhay stepped forward when his name was called.
He accepted the medal with his usual easy smile, thanked the presenter politely, and stepped aside without lingering. There were no cameras flashing, no speeches, just a brief acknowledgment before things moved on.
After that, both teams lined up to receive their match certificates, issued by the DDCA. Every player was handed one. It wasn't much, but at this level, it mattered. These certificates would quietly stack up over the years, each one a small step forward.
Once everything was done, the teams boarded the bus back to the academy.
The mood inside was relaxed but controlled.
Coach Abhimanyu Singhania stood near the front, one hand resting on a seat as he looked over the boys. Then he spoke, his voice calm but firm.
"Alright, champs. Good job today," he said. "But remember, it was just the first game."
The bus quieted immediately.
"We've got a long season ahead," Abhimanyu continued. "Don't let this get to your heads. Play every match with the same dedication. Even if we go the entire season without a single loss, don't get proud. Keep your heads in the game."
The team nodded in unison.
"Yes, Coach!" they shouted.
Abhimanyu smiled, satisfied, then turned his gaze toward Abhay.
"Good game, tiger," he said. "Keep up the good work."
Abhay returned the smile and gave a small nod. "Thank you, Coach."
Soon after, the bus rolled back into the academy. The players collected their bags and dispersed, each heading home.
~~~
Back at the Khanna household, the medal became the center of attention.
It was passed around like a toy, admired, turned over, examined from every angle. His dadi smiled at it proudly, his sister teased him about becoming famous too early, and his brother simply fiddled with a grin.
Eventually, his mother made a decision.
"We should frame this," she said. "And hang it in the living room."
Abhay just shrugged, still smiling. "Don't make it a habit," he said casually. "There'll be many more. If you keep framing every single one, we'll run out of walls before I even play for India."
Everyone burst out laughing.
His dadu reached over and ruffled his hair. "Then we'll just build a warehouse," he declared. "Store all the medals and trophies you'll earn in the future."
Abhay raised two fingers in a peace sign. "Deal," he said. "Don't back out later, Dadu."
After dinner, the house slowly quieted down.
Abhay finally retreated to his room, the one he had gotten after turning ten. He lay back on his bed and looked around.
The room had changed a lot.
Posters of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and the 1983 World Cup victory lined the walls. Cricket books were stacked neatly on a shelf. His kit bag rested in the corner, familiar and comforting.
Smiling softly, Abhay opened the system.
[Batting: 26% (+1)]
[Bowling: 26% (+1)]
[Fielding: 30%]
[Captaincy: 19%]
The steady growth made him happy, but what caught his eye next made him even more pleased.
A reward notification.
[CONGRATULATIONS FOR WINNING YOUR FIRST OFFICIAL MATCH BY MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS WITH BOTH BAT AND BALL. REWARD: 1 FREE SPIN]
Abhay didn't hesitate and spun the reward.
The new skill appeared almost immediately.
[INCREASED BASE POWER: Host's base power is higher than average cricketers his age. Necessary training must be done to maintain this power. This skill grows with age and training.]
A grin spread across his face.
'This is it,' he thought. 'The most important one.'
No matter how much training a cricketer did, raw power often became the limiting factor, especially when compared to players from places like the West Indies. With this skill, he had effectively closed that gap.
The change was immediate.
His body felt denser, stronger, yet it retained the same fluidity and flexibility he had built through years of gymnastics. He hadn't had to sacrifice one for the other.
That alone made him deeply satisfied.
With the fatigue of a full match and the quiet happiness of his reward settling in, Abhay turned onto his side.
That night, he slept soundly, contently and ready for what came next.
~~~
The DDCA League was a long affair.
Each team played around two to three matches per month, and with a total of 14 matches scheduled for the season, it stretched on for several months. It demanded consistency more than brilliance, showing up every time, adapting, and delivering again and again.
By the time the 2011 World Cup final rolled around, WDCA had already played seven matches.
Half the season was done and WDCA had won all seven.
The victories weren't narrow either. From the very first match, they had controlled games comfortably, often finishing early or defending totals without panic. As the season progressed, the gap between them and the opposition only grew.
After Abhay unlocked the Power skill, the Under-14 level began to feel… small.
His technique had already been a problem for bowlers. He rarely mistimed shots, rarely chased deliveries, and almost never threw his wicket away. Now, with added power behind his strokes, things tilted completely in his favor.
Any loose delivery was punished and even many good deliveries weren't safe anymore.
Balls that would normally be worked for singles were suddenly clearing the infield. Length balls that bowlers trusted were being lifted cleanly. It wasn't reckless hitting, it was controlled dominance.
As a result, Abhay won the Man of the Match award in all seven games.
More importantly, word had begun to spread.
Coach Abhimanyu had told him quietly that selectors were already taking notice. Earlier, Abhay had believed that his age would be a major barrier, and realistically, it should have been. But cricket had always favored one thing above all else.
Performance.
If a player performed consistently, carried matches, and ensured wins for his team, then age became secondary. Unless the selectors were blind, they would have to consider him.
But at this moment Abhay wasn't thinking about league matches, selectors, or percentages.
Because right now, he was standing in the VIP stands at Wankhede Stadium.
The noise, the lights, the sheer scale of it all hit him at once.
Celebrities and famous figures were everywhere.
His father had secured four VIP passes the moment ticket bookings opened, something that would have been impossible in his last life. The ones who came were his parents, Abhay himself, and his sister.
His brother had wanted to come too, but university exams had kept him back.
At the moment, Abhay forgot all about that because this place felt unreal.
It was a room filled with people he had only ever seen on screens and since he and his sister were children, polite, excited, and wide-eyed, almost no one refused them when they asked for photos.
They moved from one familiar face to another.
From Ranbir Kapoor and Suniel Shetty.
From Lara Dutta to Preity Zinta.
They even managed photos with Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
Each moment felt surreal.
At one point, they spotted something even more unexpected.
The President of India, Pratibha Patil, and the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, were walking up after the toss and official greetings. Security tried to turn them away politely, but the President herself noticed the children and waved them through.
So they took photos with her as well.
By the time they were done, Abhay's cheeks hurt from smiling.
They also saw the families of Sachin, Dhoni and some other cricketers, but their nerves were already high so they didn't disturb them.
Finally, they returned to their seats.
The crowd roared around them as the players took the field. The pitch lay pristine under the lights. The World Cup trophy gleamed nearby.
Abhay settled into his chair and looked out at the ground.
For a long moment, he didn't think about the future.
He didn't think about selectors, leagues, or systems.
He just watched.
This was the moment he had dreamed of twice now and this time, he was here to see it.
~~~~~
{I told you before, this fic would be cricket AND slice-of-life, there will be many non-cricket moments too. Well this one is a cricket moment too in way but you get it.}