Darkness ended with breath.
Aarav Malhotra inhaled sharply, his chest rising as if he had surfaced from deep water. His eyes flew open.
White ceiling.
Slow-spinning fan.
The smell of old wood and incense.
Not a hospital.
Not the future.
He sat up abruptly.
The room was smaller. Simpler. A calendar hung crookedly on the wall.
**Year: 2001**
Aarav's heart pounded.
He looked down.
Smaller hands.
Thinner wrists.
No scars from years of cricket.
He was ten years old again.
---
## 🧠 REALISATION
Memories crashed into place.
The IPL.
International centuries.
World Cups.
Records.
And regrets.
He swung his legs off the bed and rushed to the mirror.
A child stared back at him—but the eyes were not a child's.
They were calm.
Measured.
Experienced.
"I'm back…" Aarav whispered.
Not reborn.
Returned.
---
## 🏠 THE MALHOTRA HOUSEHOLD
Breakfast was already laid out.
His father, **Raghav Malhotra**, read the newspaper, glasses perched low on his nose. Business headlines. Stock prices. Expansion plans.
His mother, **Neha Malhotra**, moved quietly between kitchen and table.
"You're early today," she said.
Aarav nodded.
"I want to join a cricket academy."
The newspaper lowered.
Raghav studied his son.
"Cricket is discipline before glory," he said slowly.
"If you start, you finish what you begin."
Aarav met his gaze.
"I will."
A long pause.
Then a nod.
"Then we do it properly."
---
## ⚙️ SYSTEM AWAKENING
That night, as Aarav lay in bed, a familiar sensation returned.
A pressure behind his eyes.
A transparent interface formed.
---
### 🧠 CRICKET TEMPLATE SYSTEM – INITIALIZATION
**Host Identified:** Aarav Malhotra
**Age:** 10
**Phase:** Foundation
🔓 **Template Unlocked: KL Rahul**
**Attributes Granted:**
- Batting Technique +30%
- Shot Selection Optimization
- Adaptability (All Formats – Early Stage)
- Mental Stability (Pressure Reduction)
**Status:** ACTIVE
---
Aarav smiled.
"Good," he whispered.
"Let's do it properly this time."
---
## 🏏 MUMBAI – LOCAL CRICKET ACADEMY MATCH
**Match Type:** Inter-Academy Friendly
**Overs:** 25 per side
**Venue:** Shivaji Park (Practice Ground)
Aarav opened the batting.
The bowler was nervous.
Inconsistent length.
Aarav wasn't.
---
### Over-by-Over Control
**Over 1 – Right-arm medium**
- 1.2: Half-volley — driven through cover (FOUR)
- 1.5: Short — pulled behind square (FOUR)
No exaggeration.
No rush.
Just timing.
---
### Mid-Innings Score:
**Academy A: 64/0 (8 overs)**
- Aarav: **38 (26 balls)**
The coach watched silently.
This wasn't talent.
This was structure.
---
### Acceleration
**Over 14 – Off-spin**
- Sweep — FOUR
- Step-out drive — FOUR
- Inside-out loft — SIX
Controlled.
Calculated.
---
### Dismissal (Intentional Risk)
**Over 18**
- Tried to clear long-on
- Misjudged the wind
*c mid-on b right-arm medium*
---
### Aarav Malhotra:
**72 runs (44 balls)**
- 9 fours
- 2 sixes
- Strike Rate: **163.63**
---
## 🧾 MATCH RESULT
**Academy A won by 8 wickets**
No applause followed him back.
Just stares.
---
## 🧠 AT HOME
That night, Raghav Malhotra checked the academy brochure again.
"You'll train six days a week," he said.
Aarav nodded.
"This time," he thought,
"I won't waste a single year."
The first ball of his second life had been played.
And it had gone exactly where he wanted.
--chapter 1 end--