National College Ground, Basavanagudi
The sun was sharp yet gentle, casting golden rays over the National College Ground in Basavanagudi. A clear April sky stretched overhead, cloudless and wide, offering the kind of textbook-blue canvas that made any cricket morning feel sacred.
The heat hadn't yet grown harsh; the morning held that crisp edge where anything felt possible — a good omen, the kind cricketers read like scripture. The air was dry, perfect for spin and bounce, and the sunlight played tricks on the eyes as it shimmered off the red-oxide soil.
The smell of red soil mixed with linseed oil from freshly knocked bats. At the pavilion end, wooden benches held bags filled with gear: sweat-drenched gloves, cracked bats taped at the toe, and mineral water bottles sweating in the sun.
The stands were modest, yet buzzing. Fathers with sunglasses and folded arms, mothers squinting against the sun, academy teammates resting under umbrellas, and club veterans sipping from steel flasks as they debated last week's leg-before decisions. Kids climbed onto the mesh fencing to peek through. Some cheered loudly; others, silently watching.
But amidst the regulars stood a man who didn't quite belong — pressed white shirt, no logo on his clipboard, brown leather shoes too polished for a Saturday morning. He stood near the far end of the boundary, half-shaded under a neem tree, scribbling notes from time to time and scanning the field with eyes that weren't just watching cricket — they were measuring it. No one knew his name. Yet. But by the end of the day, the players would remember that someone was watching. Someone who mattered.
Today, he had stood tall. Not just as a cricketer, but as someone learning how to carry a team—even in defeat.
Coach Murali approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You looked different out there today," he said quietly. "Sharper. Calmer. Like the game slowed down for you."
Arjun didn't reply immediately. He just stared at the setting sun. A birthday candle of sorts—soft, orange, fading over the rooftops of Basavanagudi.
"I turned fourteen today, sir," Arjun finally said, voice low.
Murali blinked. "Didn't even mention it."
"I didn't want to jinx the match," Arjun smiled faintly. "But… I'm glad I got to play. Felt right."
Coach Murali nodded slowly, eyes studying the boy beside him. "Fourteen, huh? You're already two years ahead of most at sixteen. But remember this—age doesn't make you older. Moments like today do."
Arjun closed his eyes and breathed in the cool evening breeze.
Fourteen. And already, the weight of dreams on his back felt heavier—but his shoulders, a little stronger.
A Game of Widely Known Labels
Opponents: VK Tigers U‑16, undefeated all summer. No score below 190 yet—they sat at 4–0 in league play.
Names whispered among the crowd:
"Rishi Menon scored 91 last week against Spartan Union."
"He's carried them all summer—122, 134, 105 and 190‑plus."
"They call him 'the Tiger' for a reason."
Arjun scanned the crowd and noticed the two men: alert, calm, recording gestures, notebook open. He shivered—this match felt different.
Toss & Team Sheet
The toss was swift. Captain Harsha stepped forward. "We bowl first."
Bright, confident—a plan built on support teams winning would chase.
Rising Youth SC XI:
Varun Shetty – Right‑hand bat
Arjun Desai – Left-hand opening swap
Nikhil
Rohit
Aditya (wk)
Harsha (c)
Parth
Ravi
Vivek
Naveen
Karthik
"Let's rock," whispered Murali before leaving Roshan alert.
VK Tigers – Playing XI
Rishi Menon (Captain, Right-Hand Opening Batsman)Aggressive stroke-maker. Scored 72 (39) and 91* (48) in previous matches. Known for punishing anything short.Shaan Kulkarni (Left-Hand Opening Batsman)Graceful stroke player. Excellent on the offside. Loves lofted cover drives.Tejas Rao (No.3, Right-Handed Batsman)Anchor role. Known for rotating strike and building partnerships.Ayaan Syed (Right-Handed Batsman, Part-time Off-spinner)Clean hitter in middle overs. Likes spinners. Has a quick fifty this season.Namit Vernekar (Wicketkeeper-Batsman)Agile behind the stumps. Finisher role. Loves scoop shots and reverse sweeps.Rehan D'Souza (Left-Handed Batsman, Right-Arm Medium Bowler)Utility all-rounder. Provides depth with both bat and ball.Krishna Bhat (Right-Arm Leg-spinner)Wicket-taking option. Got a 3-wicket haul including a double-wicket maiden last match.Mayur Patel (Right-Arm Fast Bowler)New-ball specialist. Good swing early on.Harsh Venkatesh (Left-Arm Orthodox Spinner)Economy bowler. Known for building pressure during middle overs.Shlok Shetty (Right-Arm Fast Medium)Death-overs bowler. Yorker specialist. Bowled a 2-run final over last gameJeevan Reddy (Left-Arm Chinaman Spinner) Mystery spinner. Rare style at this level. Deceptive turn and flight.
VK Tigers About to Bat
Tigers strode out—almost regal.
Openers: Shaan Kulkarni (82*, 89) and Rishi Menon (previous 91). The left-arm seamer paced in.
Crowd murmured:
"Can we restrict them to 200? That'll be a win."
"They've chased under pressure before—they're calm."
I · Bowling First Overs (Overs 1–7)
Over 1 – Parth to Rishi Menon
0.1 – A gentle flighted delivery, drifting in from around the wicket. Rishi stepped forward and clipped it to mid-on for a sharp double.
0.2 – Tossed up again, this time outside off. Shaan reached out and drove along the ground, but Arjun at cover dived to stop it—single.
0.3 – Shorter and quicker. Shaan rocked back and pulled to deep square for Four.
0.4 – Parth tried an arm ball. Rishi pushed with soft hands, and it rolled to mid-off—another single.
0.5 – Big loop outside off. Shaan went for the cut, but mistimed—dot.
0.6 – Slightly flatter. Shaan used the depth and punched it past point. They sprinted two.
Parth kept it tight, just five off. But the Tigers were feeling out the spin already.
Parth (Rip‑off left arm) – 1–0–10–0; tight.
Over 2 – Ravi to Rishi Menon
1.1 – Medium pace, good length outside off. Rishi leaned in—crack!—a square drive pierced the infield. Four.
1.2 – Back of a length, angling in. Rishi tapped to point, quick single.
1.3 – Shaan took strike. Full ball, tried to flick—big shout! But just pad. Dot.
1.4 – Short ball, angled in. Shaan swiveled and hooked it to the fence behind square. Four more.
1.5 – Yorker attempt, slightly misdirected. Squeezed out for a single to mid-wicket.
1.6 – Slower ball. Rishi waited, opened the face, guided it past third man. Two runs.
Ravi wasn't erratic—but Rishi Menon was laser-sharp with anything even slightly wide.
Ravi (Med pace) – 1–0–18–0; disciplined length.
Harsha – 1–0–25–0; tested Tiger pair.
By 7 overs: Tigers 70/0 – run rate ~10.
Parth pulled himself back, but they still scored off every fifth ball.
Scouting men scribbled notes. One nudged the other: eyeing Arjun in the field.
II · Seven Over Change & Arjun Finally Bowls
As the 8th over loomed, Harsha tossed the ball to Arjun.
"Go on," he muttered, more out of desperation than strategy.
The crowd murmured.
"Left-arm offie?"
"No, he's… something in between..."
"He's that kid who bats both hands."
The scouts leaned forward. One of them adjusted his sunglasses as if zooming in. The mysterious man with the notepad narrowed his eyes.
Arjun Desai marked his approach like a gully boy in a temple alley—no rhythm, no grace, just twitchy shoulders and barefoot balance in shoes.
Over 8 – Arjun Desai (Left-arm, chaos spin)
8.1 – First ball – WICKET!
He flicked his wrist from a wide angle, a grip that resembled a carrom board flick. The ball spun from leg stump toward the left-hander, dipping viciously at the last second. Rishi Menon had already crouched for the sweep—but it dipped further, caught glove, and popped up behind.
Sharp take by the keeper!
Gone!
A shockwave of gasps followed. Rishi looked stunned, not because he was out, but because he hadn't read the ball at all.
A wicket off the first ball.
Arjun barely celebrated. His eyes darted toward the pitch like he was trying to understand what he'd just done.
8.2 – The next ball floated wider, a higher loop. The new batter, Tejas Rao, walked down and nudged it into the gap between mid-off and cover. A quick couple—good footwork.
8.3 – Arjun tried to follow up with a flatter trajectory. But in doing so, he lost his pivot. The ball skidded in short, pitched leg and middle.
Shaan rocked back and slapped it—hard—wide of deep midwicket.
Seven runs total—four, plus three overthrows on a wild throw in.
Coach Murali on the boundary flinched.
8.4 – Arjun slowed down, tried to find grip. He tossed one up, wrist rolling in an unusual side-flick—off-spin with sidecar dip.
Shaan attempted a sweep but misjudged the bounce.
The ball caught the upper edge… and flew just wide of short fine leg.
Four again—but it was a miscue.
Arjun sighed. He wasn't in control, not really. He was gambling.
8.5 – Another off-spinner, but this time it had a strange wobble. The seam tilted like a discus.
Shaan picked the line early and stepped down—whack!, over long-on.
Six as the ball ricocheted off a signboard .
6 runs. The chaos had tilted against him.
8.6 – He finally tried his arm ball, gripped between thumb and forefinger and pushed through quick and skiddy.
The batter jabbed—off the toe-end, it squirted past cover.
Three runs again.
End of Over 8: 29 runs, 1 wicket
VK Tigers: 99/1
A shudder ran through Rising Youth's fielders. The wicket had come, yes—but at what cost?
Harsha stormed in from mid-off, grabbing Arjun by the shoulder.
"Stick to flight. Linger. You're bowling like you're in a gully match—don't belly-bomb early."
Arjun didn't argue. He simply handed the ball back and jogged away, his fists clenched. He'd tried to recreate the magic of the switch-handed batting chaos with his bowling. But in this game, chaos had two sides. One bowled wickets. The other leaked 32 runs.
From the shaded stand, the mysterious scout jotted something down:
"Untrained. Raw wrist variations. No repetition, no control. But that first ball… dipped like it had its own gravity. If structured—he could be a monster at 17."
Beside him, the second man raised an eyebrow.
"Worth inviting?"
The scout didn't answer. He simply circled Arjun's name, twice.
III · Opponents Power Past 130 (Overs 9–14)
Naveen and Vivek checked each; Tigers breezed—140/2 at 14 overs.
Coach Santosh consulted with Murali near boundary: "They'll wind up around 190."
Scout #1 nodded quietly: "Looks likely—but note our lefty opener."
Scout #2 flipped pages, eyebrows raised: under pressure, he held himself. That matters.
Final Blocks – Overs 15–20
Field tightened. Arjun's spin return (over 17) conceded just 8.
Score: Tigers 193/2 by 20 overs. Medals and first innings total.
Opposition huddled; our team took a sip, dug deep.
As the teams took drinks and the midday sun hardened shadows on the pitch, the game stood at a strange inflection point — a calm before the storm. Arjun sat quietly on the turf, sweat dripping from his brow, replaying the wicket… and the boundaries. He hadn't just been watched — he'd been evaluated. And he knew it wasn't over.
The scout, still under the neem tree, didn't blink.
Because the second half — the chase — was about to begin.
And if the first innings hinted at raw talent, what came next would scream whether it was real.