Author's Note:
Thank you everyone for 10k views! I have decided to start making a list of all cricket vocabulary so that it's easier for non cricket fans to understand the contents of this novel.
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It was the day of the school tournament final. Ali was walking to the Nehru Maidan, the same place where KL Rahul first started playing cricket. Now, it would be the place where a battle between power and grit would occur, where a school's reputation would be determined. He walked to the pitch, dry as a desert and thought to himself,
Will I win here? Would I even be able to stop them? The grass rustled, as the curator cleaned the grass. Ali then felt a hand touch his back, and saw Siddarth. "So, are you ready to lose to me? Thinking about how to deal with the fallout after the match?" Said Siddarth.
"I ain't the captain. Go taunt Manish for all I care." Said Ali. "Nah, l know you are the real leader. You can't fool me." Said Siddarth. After all, he was the son of Sahwit, a person known to be extremely shrewd. "Don't worry, the umpires are on my side. Everyone is on my side, the school wants me to win here. You won't be able to change that, no matter what you try."
Ali grimaced and returned with, "Here, you have complete control. This is your pond. But, when you leave this pond, and jump into the ocean, you will realize, you were purely inflated by your father. So leave me alone, and go speak to your team, if that's what you call it."
Siddarth fumed, unable to accept the reality that Ali had told him. Who is he to tell me what I am? I am much better than him! He thought to himself. Siddarth then walked away, his hands clenched in rage.
Manish then walked over, seeing Ali. "Just saw what you did there. Don't you think we should shove his control back down his mouth? I would love to do it myself, but we are gonna have to execute the plan properly." Manish said.
Their plan was simple. They knew they couldn't completely win, not with Sahwit controlling the officials. Instead, they decided to weaponize the next best thing after the officials, public opinion! If the audience of parents and students were not happy with the officiating, then there will be suspicion of manipulation due to Siddarth being the son of the vice principal.
The students and parents, along with others, began filling the tents and sitting on the respective chairs. Everyone was ready. There was only one question in everyone's minds, how would the match turn out?
Manish and Siddarth stood side to side, as Coach Shastri tossed the coin. Siddarth called heads, and of course, it landed on heads. "What do you choose?" Asked Shastri. "We choose to bat first." said Siddarth. A fatal mistake.
The openers came out onto the field, ready to cruise past their opponents. One of them had a overconfident swagger as he walked, while the other was walking with his head down.
Mrinal got ready at the strikers end, wanting to score as much runs as possible, so that he can impress the coach and get into the school team. Anirudh would bowl the first over, ready to later face his close friend Dalal.
Overs 1-5, Anirudh's first over was marred with wrong calls, one ball was falsely called a wide ball and an lbw wasn't given. Both of them were when Mrinal was at the striker's end. The next 3 overs were having even more discrepancies, as balls well within the line were turned into wide balls, and a clear edged ball wasn't given a wicket. Then came Anirudh's second over. The over that started suspicions among the audience.
Anirudh walked over to Manish and told, "I don't know if I can keep quiet after seeing these unfair calls. I'm warning you, I ain't following the plan if these unfair calls continue." Manish told him, "A few more overs. You can do it." Anirudh scurried away in anger, not at the officiating, but at the fact that Ali helped him with the plan. Anirudh quietly bowled, no sledge or expressions. In the third ball, Suhail tried to defend the straight ball, but instead it nicked his pads, right behind was the wicket.
He began walking away to the stands, but was stopped by Mrinal. As the umpire hadn't raised his finger. Anirudh shouted, "IT HIT HIS PADS, AND PITCHED IN THE MIDDLE! HOW IS THAT NOT A WICKET!" Murmurs were heard thoughout the crowd. "That's the same way my son wasn't given a wicket!" Told the father of one of the students who played for the yellow house.
The umpire said, "Pitched outside leg. Play on." Anirudh was vexed. He kicked a cone away and began his run up for the 4th ball.
[Mrinal 33* (18) | Suhail 14* (12) 47/0 ]
Suhail was a former member of the Yellow House. He was moved into the red house. Separated from his friends and teammates, he thought this was some kind of test by the staff. The type which tested how he would do under pressure. Little did he know, he was one of many pawns for Siddarth to use.
He thought the unfair calls were a mere coincidence, but he had realized that it wasn't a coincidence, but a repeated occurrence. One where only his team benefited. He remembered how Nehan of the Yellow House falsely lost his wicket to an umpiring call when he bowled a ball that Siddarth dropped. His teammate. His friend. He had betrayed him. The memories kept replaying in his mind, when he was interrupted by a voice asking, "Are you ready?" It was the umpire. "Yes, I am." Told Suhail.
Anirudh threw an inswinger this time. It swung towards the legs of Suhail. He decided to test his hypothesis by letting the ball hit the wicket. The ball rolled through his legs. BANG! A clean hit. Anirudh celebrated. The stands were filled with cheers. Cheers that were for the green house, not for him.
The umpire suddenly interrupted Anirudh. "It's a no ball. No wicket." Said the umpire, in a slightly off tone manner.
Suhail was crestfallen, seeing his hypothetical being proven right. He started walking away. I saw the signs.. and yet, I kept quiet. He thought to himself. Siddarth stopped him. "It's a no ball. Go back and bat." Siddarth commanded him.
"No. That was a clear wicket." Said Suhail. "Let it be a clear wicket. The umpire said it was a no ball. So you still have to bat." Siddarth immediately retorted.
"Alright, in your words, this was a no ball. But…"
"But what?" Asked Siddarth.
"I can retire hurt. So you can't force me to keep this charade going." Said Suhail.
"Don't you dare do so! If you do, I will make sure you never enter the school team." Threatened Siddarth. "Hey, come back here!"
Suhail walked over, ignorant to Siddarth's threats, to the umpire, calm and guilt free, as his consience was lifted. "I feel pain in my leg." He whispered to the umpire. The umpire then told, "Alright, sure kid. I can understand how you feel. Go on, the nurse is that way." The umpire winked at him.
Suhail walked away, towards the nurse. No one initially understood what was going on, why was a batsman out after a no ball? But then, Ali's mom understood. She started clapping. Then Suhail's mom. One clap turned to two, and after a few seconds, the tents were loud with claps. This time they were for him.
At that moment, Suhail knew that he had done the right thing.
Ali smiled. This was far better than the initial plan.
TO BE CONTINUED
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