Date: November 2, 2008 Location: Secunderabad Railway Station, Platform 1. Train: Hyderabad Express to Bangalore.
The platform was a chaotic sea of white kits and teary-eyed mothers. The Hyderabad U-14 Team was leaving for the South Zone Interstate Tournament.
Rao stood near the train window, holding a plastic bag of oranges. "Don't eat railway cutlets," Rao warned Sai through the bars of the window. "Only eat what is in the tiffin. And drink Bisleri."
Sai nodded from his Middle Berth. "Yes, Nanna."
"And Sai..." Rao hesitated. "Call me if you play."
Sai smiled. "I will call you even if I don't."
The whistle blew. The train jerked forward. As the station blurred past, the team erupted. "Freeeeeedom!"
Without parents, the boys turned into animals. Vihan Reddy (Captain) took the Lower Berth. He was playing music on a shiny new iPod Nano. Kabir (The Fast Bowler) was arm-wrestling with the wicketkeeper.
Sai climbed up to his Middle Berth. He took out his notebook. He wasn't sleeping. He was preparing.
[OPPONENT ANALYSIS: KARNATAKA]
Strengths: Technically perfect. Good infrastructure.
Key Threat: Manish Pandey (Not the real one, but an archetype). Karnataka batters don't throw their wickets. They grind you down.
Strategy: Patience.
"Oye Sai," Vihan yelled from below. "Come down. We are playing cards (Uno)."
Sai looked down. "I'm studying the Karnataka team stats."
Vihan laughed. "Nerd. We will smash them. We have the best batting lineup."
Sai didn't say anything. Overconfidence, he thought. The first sin of Hyderabad cricket.
Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Alur Cricket Ground, Bangalore. Match: Hyderabad U-14 vs. Karnataka U-14.
The Alur ground was beautiful. Cooler weather. Gusty winds. And the pitch? Green. Not the dusty brown of Hyderabad. This was a lush, seaming wicket.
The Toss: Karnataka won the toss and elected to Bowl.
Coach Daniel looked worried. "Watch the swing, boys. Play in the 'V'."
The Bench View Sai was wearing a fluorescent bib over his whites. The 12th Man. His job: Mix Glucose-D, carry water bottles, and run out with towels.
He sat on the grass, watching Hyderabad bat.
Over 1: The Karnataka opener, a tall boy with a smooth action, bowled a beautiful outswinger. The Hyderabad opener (a slogger from the Zonal team) saw the width and went for a booming drive. Edge. Caught at Second Slip. 0/1.
Over 5: Vihan Reddy walked in. He looked confident. He played a few nice shots. But then, the Karnataka bowler pitched one up that swung late. Vihan tried to flick it (his favorite shot). The ball swung past his pads and hit the off-stump. Clatter. 22/3.
Sai watched intently. They are playing with hard hands, Sai analyzed. On this pitch, you need soft hands. You have to play late.
The Collapse Hyderabad was bowled out for 88 in 28 overs. It was humiliating.
Karnataka Batting: They came out and batted like professionals. They left the wide balls. They defended the good balls. They punished the bad balls. They scored 250/4 Declared.
Hyderabad 2nd Innings: Bowled out for 110. Result: Karnataka won by an Innings and 52 runs.
Coach Daniel was furious in the dressing room. He kicked a plastic chair. "You played like gully cricketers! No technique! No application!"
He looked around the room. His eyes landed on Sai, who was quietly filling water bottles.
Chapter 24: The Green Top and The Loose Motion
Date: November 7, 2008 Location: Alur Ground 2. Match: Hyderabad U-14 vs. Tamil Nadu U-14.
This was a Do-or-Die match. If Hyderabad lost this, they were out of the tournament.
The morning of the match, chaos struck. Ravi, the opening batsman (who had scored a duck in the last game), woke up clutching his stomach. "Sir... Railway Cutlet..." Ravi groaned, running to the bathroom.
Food poisoning.
Coach Daniel stood in the hotel lobby, rubbing his temples. "Great. Just great. We are one batsman short."
He looked at the squad list. He had two reserves.
A fast bowler.
Sai Krishna.
Daniel looked at Sai. Sai was eating plain toast and banana (safe food).
"Sai," Daniel said.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Can you open?"
Sai paused. He had never opened in his life. He was a middle-order stabilizer. But you don't say no to the Coach. "I can bat anywhere, Sir."
Daniel nodded. "The pitch is green. It will seam. Tamil Nadu has a pacer named Vijay. He is quick. If you edge it, you are out. Just... survive the new ball. Okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
Time: 9:00 AM The Toss
Tamil Nadu won the toss and Fielded. Of course. Everyone wanted to bowl on the green top.
Sai walked out to open with Kabir (who was sent up as a pinch hitter to disturb the length). Sai marked his guard. He looked at the field. Three slips. A gully. This wasn't U-14 cricket. This was Test cricket for kids.
The bowler, Vijay, was scary. He was tall, dark, and had a high-arm action.
Over 1: Vijay to Kabir. Kabir swung wildly. Missed three balls. Edged one for four. Hyderabad 4/0.
Over 2: Sai on strike. The bowler was a lefty pacer. Left-arm over. This angle is a nightmare for right-handers. The ball comes in with the angle and then leaves you.
Ball 1: Good length. Angling across. Sai saw the shine on the ball. Shiny side outside. It will swing away. Trigger Movement. Sai covered his off-stump. He lifted his bat high. Shoulder arms. (The Leave). The ball zipped past the off stump.
The Wicketkeeper clapped. "Good leave, chotu. But next one is taking your edge."
Ball 2: Fuller. Tempting him to drive. Sai's 20-year-old brain screamed: It's a Trap! If he drove, the swing would take the edge to slip. Sai resisted. He pushed his front foot forward but kept the bat close to his pad. Dead defense. [CLICK] The ball hit the middle of the bat and died on the pitch.
Ball 3: Bouncer. Sai ducked. Technically perfect.
Ball 4: Inswinger. (The one that comes back). Sai saw the wrist position change. He didn't plant his front leg too far across (which causes LBW). He played straight. Inner half of the bat. The ball rolled to square leg. Single.
Coach Daniel, watching from the boundary, uncrossed his arms. He is not looking to score. He is looking to survive. Exactly what we need.
The Attrition
Over 10: Kabir got out (slogging). Score: 25/1. Vihan Reddy walked in. Vihan was talented, but he had an ego. He saw Sai blocking everything and got annoyed. "Sai, rotate the strike! We are going at 2 runs per over!"
Sai walked to the middle. "Vihan, the ball is moving a foot. If you drive, you die. Wait for the old ball."
Vihan ignored him. Next over, Vihan tried to smash a cover drive. Edge. Dropped at Second Slip. Vihan looked pale.
"See?" Sai whispered.
The Grind
Sai batted for 15 overs. He scored 8 runs. Yes, 8 runs off 45 balls. To the spectators, it was boring. To the bowlers, it was frustrating. They couldn't get him out.
Because Sai wasn't getting out, the Tamil Nadu bowlers started trying too hard. They bowled short. They bowled wide. Vihan capitalized on the loose balls.
Lunch Break: Hyderabad: 75/1. Vihan: 45*. Sai: 12* (60 balls).
In the dressing room, the teammates were confused. "Sai, are you playing Test match?" one kid joked.
Coach Daniel slammed his hand on the table. "Shut up! Look at the scoreboard! We lost 1 wicket in the session! In the last match, we lost 5! Sai is doing his job. You donkeys learn from him."
Post-Lunch: The Harvest
The ball got older. The swing stopped. The sun came out. The pitch flattened.
Sai felt the change. [SYSTEM FEEDBACK] Ball Condition: Soft. Seam Movement: Null. Opportunity: High.
Over 28: The spinner came on. Sai stepped out. He hit a lofted straight drive. FOUR.
Over 30: The pacer returned (tired). Short and wide. Sai cut it hard. FOUR.
Sai shifted gears. He wasn't relying on power; he was relying on the fact that the bowlers were exhausted from bowling to him all morning.
He reached his 50. A gritty, ugly, beautiful 50 off 110 balls.
He eventually got out for 58, caught at mid-wicket trying to accelerate. But the foundation was set.
Hyderabad Score: 210 All Out. It was a winning score on this pitch.
Result: Hyderabad bowled out Tamil Nadu for 145. Hyderabad Won by 65 Runs.
The Selector's Call
That evening, Coach Daniel called Sai. "Pack your bags."
Sai's heart sank. "Am I dropped, Sir?"
Daniel smiled. A rare, scary smile. "No. The South Zone Selectors are watching. They want to see you in the Zonal Camp in Chennai."
Sai blinked. South Zone meant representing the combined team of Hyderabad, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra against North India.
"But Sir... Vihan scored 70 today."
"Vihan scored 70 because you ate 60 balls of the new ball," Daniel said. "Selectors know cricket. They saw the first session. You are going to Chennai."
Sai walked back to his room. He picked up his phone (a Nokia 1100 his dad gave him for the trip).
He dialed the number.
"Hello? Nanna?"
"Sai? Did you play?" Rao's voice was anxious.
"I played, Nanna."
"Did you score?"
"58. We won."
There was silence on the other end. Then a choked sound. "Good. Very good. Did you eat?"
"Yes, Nanna. I'm going to Chennai next week."
"Chennai? Why?"
"South Zone Camp."
Rao laughed. A loud, happy laugh. "Okay! I will tell your mother to buy kaju katli(from pulla reddy ifykyk ) . Go sleep."
Sai cut the call. He lay on the hotel bed, looking at the ceiling. South Zone. That meant playing with the best kids from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The competition would be insane.