Chapter 112: New Rivals
The indoor training centre felt different that morning.
Not louder.
Quieter.
The kind of silence that existed before something important happened.
Yesterday’s cover-drive session had left every batsman physically exhausted. Even lifting the bat felt heavier than usual. Yet nobody complained. State camp had already erased the habit of making excuses.
Sahil walked into the indoor facility carrying his bat over one shoulder.
The familiar smell of fresh leather, polished willow and newly rolled turf greeted him.
Assistant coaches moved between the practice lanes, arranging cones and checking bowling machines.
Everything appeared routine.
Until Coach Rana entered.
He wasn’t alone.
Three unfamiliar players walked behind him.
Immediately, conversations stopped.
Sahil noticed the HPCA logo on their training kits.
Unlike the rest of the camp, however, their jerseys carried embroidered initials beneath the association crest.
They weren’t newcomers.
They belonged here.
Coach Rana waited until every player’s attention settled on the visitors.
"Listen carefully."
His voice echoed across the hall.
"You’ve spent the last week competing against yourselves."
He paused.
"From today..."
His eyes drifted toward the three players.
"...you compete against the standard."
The tallest of the three stepped forward first.
He stood nearly six feet tall, broad-shouldered but lean, carrying his bat as naturally as if it were an extension of his arm.
His movements were calm.
Measured.
Confident without arrogance.
Coach Rana spoke.
"Arjun Mehra."
A murmur spread quietly through the group.
Sahil had heard the name.
Every serious young cricketer in Himachal had.
Coach continued.
"Opening batsman."
"Current member of the Himachal Under-19 squad."
"Recently shortlisted for the National Under-19 High Performance Program."
The murmurs grew louder.
National level.
That wasn’t just talent.
That was another world.
Arjun acknowledged the players with a small nod.
No smile.
No dramatic introduction.
Just quiet confidence earned through performance.
Coach Rana continued.
"If you want to know the standard required to reach national cricket..."
He pointed toward Arjun.
"Watch him."
The second player stepped forward.
Unlike Arjun, he carried a cricket ball instead of a bat.
Medium height.
Lean build.
Sharp eyes.
His left wrist constantly rolled the ball between his fingers.
Coach Rana smiled faintly.
"This..."
He looked around.
"...is the reason many right-handed batsmen hate batting."
Light laughter spread through the hall.
"Ishaan Verma."
"Left-arm fast bowler."
"Average speed..."
Coach glanced toward the speed gun.
"One hundred and thirty-nine kilometres per hour."
Several batsmen exchanged uneasy glances.
Coach wasn’t finished.
"The new ball swings."
"The old ball swings."
"And if it doesn’t..."
He smiled.
"...he usually makes it."
Even Rohan chuckled.
Ishaan shrugged modestly.
"I try."
Sahil watched the left-armer closely.
There was nothing intimidating about him physically.
Yet the relaxed way he held the ball somehow made him seem dangerous.
This wasn’t someone who relied on pace alone.
He relied on control.
Coach Rana looked toward the third newcomer.
"If the first one teaches patience..."
He nodded toward Arjun.
"And the second teaches humility..."
His eyes shifted.
"The third teaches fear."
The players laughed.
The newcomer smiled for the first time.
He was the shortest of the three.
Slim.
Almost ordinary-looking.
Until Sahil noticed his fingers.
They never stopped moving.
Constantly rolling an invisible ball.
Changing grips.
Experimenting.
Coach Rana folded his arms.
"Vivaan Sood."
"Mystery spinner."
The hall became noticeably quieter.
Coach continued.
"Nobody here has faced him."
Several batsmen frowned.
"That’s intentional."
A pause.
"If you know which way his ball spins..."
He smiled.
"...you’re already luckier than most."
Vivaan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I get confused sometimes too."
Laughter broke out again.
Even Coach Kapoor smiled.
Coach Kapoor stepped beside the three players.
"These aren’t guest coaches."
He looked around the room.
"They’re training partners."
Another pause.
"They’ll practice with you."
"They’ll challenge you."
"And most importantly..."
His eyes settled briefly on Sahil.
"...they’ll show you how much further you still have to climb."
Silence settled over the indoor centre.
Not uncomfortable.
Motivating.
Sahil studied the three cricketers carefully.
Arjun.
The batsman standing on the edge of national selection.
Ishaan.
A left-arm swing bowler capable of moving the new ball both ways.
Vivaan.
A spinner whose variations even experienced batsmen struggled to read.
They weren’t enemies.
Not yet.
They were benchmarks.
Living proof that the road ahead was far longer than he had imagined.
As Coach Rana dismissed the group toward their assigned practice nets, Sahil tightened his grip on his bat.
The State Camp had already shown him stronger bowlers.
Better athletes.
Higher standards.
Now...
It had introduced the players he would one day have to surpass.
The introductions ended.
No applause followed.
Coach Rana simply looked at the three newcomers before turning back to the thirty-two camp players.
"Enough standing."
His voice echoed through the indoor hall.
"Cricket doesn’t care about introductions."
He pointed toward the practice nets.
"It only cares what happens between the crease."
The players immediately scattered toward their assigned groups.
Sahil adjusted his gloves while stealing another glance at the three new arrivals.
Arjun Mehra spoke quietly with Coach Kapoor, listening more than talking.
Ishaan Verma casually bounced a red ball on the practice strip, studying the seam as if it were a puzzle only he understood.
Vivaan Sood stood alone near the bowling crease, absentmindedly spinning the ball between his fingers.
Even now...
His grip kept changing.
Off-spinner.
Leg-spinner.
Carrom ball.
Back again.
The ball never stopped moving.
---
Coach Kapoor blew his whistle.
"Today’s session isn’t a match."
He looked around.
"It’s observation."
The players exchanged puzzled looks.
"What does that mean, sir?"
Coach smiled faintly.
"It means..."
He pointed toward the three senior players.
"...today, you watch as much as you play."
---
The National Hopeful
Arjun was the first to enter the nets.
Rohan marked his run-up with the new ball.
The speed gun flickered.
138 km/h.
The first delivery landed just outside off stump.
A testing length.
Arjun didn’t move.
He simply watched it pass.
Leave.
Second ball.
Almost identical.
Again...
Leave.
The younger players looked confused.
Kabir whispered,
"Why isn’t he playing?"
Coach Kapoor heard him.
"Because that ball doesn’t deserve a shot."
---
The third delivery angled back toward middle stump.
Only then did Arjun move.
No flourish.
No dramatic backlift.
The bat descended smoothly.
Tok.
The straight drive rolled past the bowler.
Not hard.
Perfectly timed.
Coach Kapoor folded his arms.
"Notice something?"
Nobody answered.
"He never rushed."
Another delivery.
Short of a length.
Arjun went onto the back foot effortlessly, punching the ball through cover.
Again...
Along the ground.
Again...
Perfect balance.
There wasn’t a single spectacular shot.
Yet after twelve deliveries...
Not one mistake.
Not one false stroke.
Sahil found himself watching without blinking.
This...
This is what national-level batting looks like.
---
Coach Kapoor walked beside the net.
"Power attracts attention."
He pointed toward Arjun.
"Control earns selection."
The sentence settled quietly inside Sahil.
---
The Left-Arm Swing Specialist
Coach Rana looked toward Ishaan.
"Your turn."
The left-arm seamer smiled.
"Finally."
He picked up a brand-new red ball before looking around.
"Who’s batting?"
Several players instinctively looked away.
Danish immediately pointed at Sahil.
"Him."
Sahil stared.
"Traitor."
The group laughed.
Coach Kapoor smiled.
"Kangra."
"Pads on."
---
Sahil walked into the net once more.
This time...
Something already felt different.
Left-arm angle.
Different release point.
Different line.
Different challenge.
Ishaan rubbed one side of the ball carefully.
"You ready?"
Sahil nodded.
"I think so."
Ishaan grinned.
"Let’s find out."
---
His run-up looked shorter than Rohan’s.
More relaxed.
The release came from wide of the crease.
The first delivery started well outside off stump.
Sahil judged it confidently.
Leave.
Then...
The ball curved back late.
Much later than expected.
It passed barely inches from off stump before crashing into Vikram’s gloves.
The wicketkeeper laughed.
"That would’ve scared me too."
---
Second ball.
Identical action.
This time the seam pointed toward slip.
Sahil expected another inswinger.
Instead...
The ball held its line before moving away sharply.
His bat followed instinctively.
Nothing.
Cleanly beaten.
Ishaan simply caught the returning ball.
"No clues."
---
Third delivery.
Full.
Middle stump.
Sahil defended comfortably.
Finally.
Solid contact.
Ishaan smiled.
"Good."
Then he walked back to his mark.
---
The next three balls all behaved differently.
One swung away.
One came in.
One stayed perfectly straight.
Every delivery forced Sahil to think again.
He couldn’t predict.
He couldn’t settle.
He could only react.
When the over finally ended, Coach Kapoor walked toward him.
"What happened?"
Sahil removed his helmet.
"I couldn’t read him."
Coach nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked toward the group.
"Elite bowlers don’t repeat questions."
"They ask new ones every ball."
---
The Mystery Spinner
The final session belonged to Vivaan.
The shortest player in the academy quietly walked toward the crease.
No dramatic entrance.
No intimidating stare.
Only a cricket ball dancing constantly between his fingers.
Coach Rana smiled.
"Good luck."
Several batsmen laughed nervously.
---
Aryan volunteered first.
"I’ll face him."
Vivaan nodded politely.
"Ready?"
He didn’t even complete a full run-up.
Three small steps.
Release.
The ball floated gently toward off stump.
Aryan moved confidently forward.
The ball dipped unexpectedly.
Gripped.
Turned.
The edge struck the pad before rolling away harmlessly.
Aryan blinked.
"What..."
Vivaan scratched his head.
"That wasn’t supposed to turn that much."
Even he looked surprised.
The players burst into laughter.
---
The next delivery looked almost identical.
Aryan adjusted earlier this time.
The ball...
Didn’t spin.
It skidded straight through.
His defensive shot met nothing but air.
Vikram removed the bails instantly.
Coach Kapoor smiled.
"That’s why they call him a mystery spinner."
---
Ball after ball...
Confusion spread.
Some deliveries spun sharply.
Others bounced.
A few drifted before pitching.
One almost looked like it changed direction twice.
Nobody seemed capable of predicting anything.
Even Vivaan occasionally laughed at his own deliveries.
"I honestly thought that one would go the other way."
---
Watching from outside the net, Sahil realized something.
Every rival represented a completely different challenge.
Arjun demanded discipline.
Ishaan demanded judgment.
Vivaan demanded adaptability.
Becoming the best batsman in the camp wouldn’t mean mastering one skill.
It would mean solving all three.
---
As evening approached, Coach Rana gathered everyone near the centre wicket.
He looked toward the three senior players.
"Thank you."
All three nodded respectfully.
Then he turned toward the camp players.
"Today..."
He paused.
"...you met your future."
Silence.
"Not because these three are unbeatable."
He shook his head.
"They’re not."
Another pause.
"But because they represent the level waiting beyond this camp."
His eyes swept across the thirty-two hopefuls.
"If you can compete with them..."
A faint smile appeared.
"...you’re ready for state cricket."
---
The players slowly began walking back toward the hostel.
Danish stretched his shoulders dramatically.
"I’ve officially decided."
Kabir laughed.
"Decided what?"
"I don’t like left-arm swing."
Rohan grinned.
"Nobody does."
Even Aryan smiled.
"Especially when it’s that good."
---
Sahil remained near the empty nets for a few moments longer.
His eyes followed the three senior players as they disappeared into another practice lane.
None of them celebrated being better.
None of them acted superior.
They simply trained.
Quietly.
Relentlessly.
That...
More than anything...
Explained why they were ahead.
A familiar blue glow appeared before his eyes.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SYSTEM UPDATE
NEW RIVALS IDENTIFIED
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Arjun Mehra
National U-19 Hopeful
Threat Level: ★★★★☆
Focus: Batting Control
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Ishaan Verma
Left-Arm Swing Specialist
Threat Level: ★★★★☆
Focus: Swing Bowling
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Vivaan Sood
Mystery Spinner
Threat Level: ★★★★★
Focus: Spin Reading
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
NEW OBJECTIVE
Defeat All Three Rivals
Progress:
0 / 3
Reward:
Hidden
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The blue screen slowly dissolved into the evening light.
Sahil smiled.
He wasn’t intimidated.
Not anymore.
District cricket had given him opponents.
State cricket had given him rivals.
And deep inside...
He knew that one day, the same players he admired today would become the ones he challenged for a place in the Himachal Pradesh Playing XI.
The journey had just become even more interesting.
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