Sid's rivalry with Arjun intensified during the tour. Away from home, in unfamiliar conditions, he felt both competitive pressure and personal envy. Every success Arjun achieved seemed effortless, precise, and calculated. Sid, for all his talent, relied on raw skill and aggression.
During a practice session, Sid confronted him. "You think you're better than everyone, don't you?" he hissed, bat in hand.
Arjun didn't respond immediately. He continued adjusting gloves, observing the fielders, noting the pace and spin of the ball in practice throws.
Finally, he spoke softly. "I don't think about being better. I think about being prepared."
Sid laughed derisively. "Prepared? That's not cricket. Cricket is instinct, courage, aggression."
Arjun tilted his head. "Instinct is predictable. Courage is subjective. I win in ways you don't notice."
Sid's frustration grew. He tried to unsettle Arjun with sledging during matches, whispered taunts, and intentional mistakes to bait reactions. Every time, Arjun remained calm, observing, calculating, and letting Sid's aggression work against him.
By the third match of the tour, Arjun had already secured a reputation among the team and the opposition. He didn't celebrate his runs loudly, didn't demand attention. Yet his quiet control over the tempo of matches and over Sid's increasingly erratic behavior gave him an unseen power.
After one particularly tense match, Sid snapped during practice, throwing his bat into the air and storming off the field. Arjun watched him go, expression unreadable. Then he turned to the team. "Focus. Every game is a sequence. Don't let emotion break the sequence."
The Devil had not yet struck publicly, but his presence was undeniable.