Chapter 115: State Squad Selection
The academy felt unnaturally quiet.
No whistles echoed across the practice grounds.
No bowling machines hummed inside the indoor centre.
Even the familiar crack of leather against willow was absent.
For the first time since arriving at the Himachal Pradesh High Performance Camp, training had been suspended.
Every player knew why.
Today...
The State Squad would be announced.
---
Breakfast passed in near silence.
Thirty-two players occupied the dining hall, yet it felt almost empty.
Spoons clinked softly against plates.
Tea steamed quietly in paper cups.
No one spoke above a whisper.
Even Danish, who somehow found a joke in every situation, stared absentmindedly at his untouched paratha.
Kabir nudged him.
"No joke today?"
Danish forced a weak smile.
"I’ve got one."
"What?"
"If I don’t get selected..."
He sighed dramatically.
"...I’m stealing Coach Kapoor’s bowling machine."
Kabir laughed.
"And then?"
"I’ll make it bowl only full tosses."
For the first time that morning, a few players smiled.
Even Sahil chuckled.
The tension eased...
Only for a moment.
---
At exactly nine o’clock, the academy speakers crackled.
"All players report to the main auditorium."
No further explanation followed.
None was needed.
---
The auditorium doors opened slowly.
Rows of chairs faced a stage where the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association crest hung proudly against a blue backdrop.
Coach Rana sat beside Coach Kapoor.
The fitness coaches occupied the second row.
Three HPCA selectors sat quietly behind a long wooden table.
A thick white envelope rested in front of the chief selector.
The sight of it made Sahil’s heartbeat quicken.
Everything...
Months of district cricket.
The championship.
The state camp.
The endless fitness sessions.
The technical drills.
The internal practice match.
Every step had led to this room.
---
Coach Rana rose first.
His expression remained as unreadable as ever.
"Good morning."
The players answered together.
"Good morning, sir."
He nodded once.
"You’ve completed one of the most demanding state camps we’ve held in recent years."
His gaze swept across the room.
"You’ve been tested physically."
A pause.
"Technically."
Another pause.
"Mentally."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"And today..."
His voice softened slightly.
"...you receive the result."
---
Nobody moved.
The silence felt almost heavy.
---
The chief selector, Mr. Rajeev Sharma, stood beside the table.
Sahil recognized him immediately.
He was the same official who had delivered the state camp invitations weeks earlier.
Rajeev smiled warmly.
"It’s good to see familiar faces again."
His smile faded.
"But today is different."
He lifted the white envelope.
"Only fifteen players will be selected."
A murmur spread across the room.
Fifteen.
From thirty-two.
More than half the camp would end today.
---
Rajeev continued.
"Let me make one thing clear."
He looked directly at every player.
"Those who aren’t selected today..."
A brief pause.
"...have not failed."
He folded one hand over the envelope.
"They simply need more time."
His words carried genuine sincerity.
Still...
They couldn’t erase the tension filling the room.
---
He slowly opened the envelope.
The sound of tearing paper seemed impossibly loud.
Sahil unconsciously tightened his grip around the edge of his chair.
Beside him, Danish whispered,
"My heart’s bowling faster than Rohan."
Kabir didn’t laugh.
Neither did Sahil.
---
Rajeev unfolded the sheet inside.
"The Himachal Pradesh Under-19 Squad..."
He paused deliberately.
"...for the upcoming Inter-State Tournament."
Every eye fixed on the paper in his hands.
---
"The captain..."
Another pause.
"...Arjun Mehra."
Applause filled the auditorium.
Arjun stood briefly, nodded respectfully, then sat down again.
Exactly as Sahil expected.
Leadership suited him naturally.
---
The vice-captain followed.
"Aryan Malhotra."
More applause.
Aryan acknowledged it with a humble smile.
---
One by one, the remaining names were announced.
Rohan Thakur.
Kabir Singh.
Ishaan Verma.
Vivaan Sood.
Each name reduced the number of remaining places.
Each announcement made the room feel smaller.
Sahil stopped counting.
He didn’t want to.
He simply waited.
---
"...Rakesh Chauhan."
"...Nikhil Sood."
"...Harsh Negi."
Only a few places remained.
Sahil’s heartbeat echoed loudly inside his ears.
Did I do enough?
The thought slipped into his mind despite every attempt to remain calm.
Coach Kapoor’s words returned immediately.
Trust your decisions.
He inhaled slowly.
Whatever happened...
He had given everything.
---
Rajeev looked back at the list.
"The twelfth player..."
He adjusted his glasses.
"...Sahil Choudhary."
For a moment...
Everything around him disappeared.
The applause sounded distant.
Almost unreal.
Danish slapped him on the shoulder.
"I told you!"
"You never told me."
"I was thinking it very loudly."
Kabir laughed.
"Go."
---
Sahil rose slowly.
His legs felt strangely light.
Months ago...
Making the district team had felt impossible.
Now...
He had earned a place in the Himachal Pradesh Under-19 Squad.
Another dream...
Another step.
---
The final three names completed the squad.
Rajeev folded the list.
"Congratulations."
The selected players stood together at the front of the auditorium while the remaining camp members applauded respectfully.
Some smiles looked genuine.
Others hid disappointment.
That was cricket.
One player’s celebration often stood beside another player’s heartbreak.
---
When the applause faded, Rajeev spoke again.
"There is..."
He glanced toward Coach Rana.
"...one final announcement."
The selected players looked at one another.
Confused.
Coach Rana stepped forward carrying another sheet of paper.
"This..."
He said calmly.
"...is the playing squad for the opening Inter-State match."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Sahil felt his heartbeat quicken again.
Being selected for the squad...
And making the Playing XI...
Were two very different things.
Coach Rana unfolded the page.
"The Playing XI will be..."
He began reading the names.
One.
Two.
Three.
Arjun.
Aryan.
Rohan.
Kabir.
The list continued.
Sahil listened carefully.
His name...
Didn’t come.
The eleventh and final name echoed through the auditorium.
Then...
Silence.
Coach Rana looked toward the remaining selected players.
"The remaining four players..."
His voice remained calm.
"...will travel with the squad as substitutes."
A brief pause.
"The substitutes are..."
He looked back at the list.
"Sahil Choudhary."
The word struck harder than expected.
Substitute.
Again.
Just like district cricket.
For the briefest moment...
Disappointment flickered across Sahil’s face.
But only for a moment.
Coach Kapoor noticed.
Their eyes met across the room.
The veteran batting coach gave the slightest shake of his head.
Not yet.
Don’t let disappointment decide your future.
Sahil straightened his shoulders.
He applauded his teammates.
Because deep down...
He understood something important.
He hadn’t been left behind.
He had simply reached another waiting room.
And sooner or later...
Another door would open.
The applause slowly faded.
The selected players remained standing near the front of the auditorium while the remaining camp members quietly returned to their seats.
For a few moments, no one spoke.
Some players smiled proudly.
Others stared silently at the floor, hiding the disappointment that every cricketer eventually experiences.
Sahil stood among the selected fifteen.
He had achieved something enormous.
Yet...
The word still echoed inside his mind.
Substitute.
Again.
---
Coach Rana stepped forward.
His sharp eyes moved across every selected player before settling briefly on Sahil.
"I can already see two different expressions."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"The first belongs to players who think they’ve completed their journey."
A pause.
"The second belongs to players who believe they’ve failed because they aren’t in the Playing XI."
His gaze lingered for a moment longer.
"Both are wrong."
Silence filled the auditorium.
"You’ve earned the right..."
He pointed toward the HPCA crest hanging behind him.
"...to wear the Himachal Pradesh badge."
His voice became firmer.
"Nothing more."
"The Playing XI..."
He paused.
"...can change every match."
Those words immediately caught Sahil’s attention.
---
Coach Kapoor stepped beside him.
"I’ve selected state teams for almost twelve years."
He smiled faintly.
"Do you know how many future Ranji players began their careers as substitutes?"
Nobody answered.
"More than half."
A ripple of surprise spread through the room.
Coach continued.
"The difference between those who eventually played..."
"...and those who disappeared..."
He looked around slowly.
"...was what they did while waiting."
---
Those words settled deeply inside Sahil.
Waiting.
That was exactly where he had been before.
At the district level.
He remembered carrying drinks.
Helping teammates warm up.
Watching every over from the boundary rope.
Many players had complained during those days.
He hadn’t.
He had trained harder.
Eventually...
Opportunity had arrived.
Perhaps...
State cricket would demand the same patience.
---
Rajeev Sharma unfolded another document.
"Each selected player will now receive an official squad blazer."
One by one, the players walked onto the stage.
When Sahil’s name was called, he stepped forward calmly.
Rajeev handed him a navy-blue blazer embroidered with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association crest.
For a brief second...
Sahil simply stared at it.
His fingers brushed the embroidered emblem.
The fabric felt heavier than he expected.
Not because of its weight.
Because of what it represented.
Rajeev smiled warmly.
"Congratulations."
Sahil accepted it with both hands.
"Thank you, sir."
---
A team photograph followed.
The Playing XI stood in the front row.
The four substitutes stood behind them.
For a brief instant, disappointment tried to creep back into Sahil’s thoughts.
Back row again...
Then he looked at the HPCA crest stitched onto his blazer.
The position in the photograph didn’t matter.
Being part of the picture did.
---
After the ceremony, the players slowly walked back toward the academy.
Several teammates congratulated Sahil.
Kabir wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
"State player."
Sahil laughed.
"State substitute."
Kabir shook his head immediately.
"No."
He stopped walking.
"You’re thinking the wrong way."
Sahil looked at him.
"You’ve already crossed a line that thousands of cricketers never do."
He pointed toward the blazer.
"Don’t let one word make you forget that."
---
Danish joined them carrying his blazer over one shoulder.
"I’ve got good news."
Kabir rolled his eyes.
"What now?"
"If we’re substitutes..."
He grinned.
"...we’ll probably eat first on the team bus."
Everyone laughed.
Even Sahil.
Danish always found a way to lighten the mood.
---
Later that afternoon, Coach Kapoor found Sahil alone inside the indoor nets.
His pads were already on.
A bucket of cricket balls rested beside him.
The coach smiled.
"I had a feeling I’d find you here."
Sahil lowered his bat.
"I need to improve."
Coach nodded.
"I know."
He picked up one of the cricket balls.
"Tell me."
"If I’d put you in the Playing XI today..."
He tossed the ball gently into the air.
"...would you have stopped working this hard?"
Sahil answered immediately.
"No, sir."
Coach smiled.
"And because I know that..."
He looked directly into Sahil’s eyes.
"...I’m not worried."
The coach placed the ball into Sahil’s hand.
"What worries me..."
A pause.
"...is players who only work hard after disappointment."
Another pause.
"The great ones..."
He tapped the middle of Sahil’s bat.
"...work exactly the same after success."
---
For the next hour...
No coach instructed him.
No assistant counted repetitions.
Sahil simply batted.
Cover drives.
Straight drives.
Defensive blocks.
Leave after leave outside off stump.
The same drills.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The empty indoor centre echoed with the steady rhythm of leather meeting willow.
Tok.
Tok.
Tok.
Every shot reminded him that selection wasn’t the finish line.
It was another beginning.
---
As evening settled over Dharamshala, the selected squad assembled outside the hostel.
A large HPCA team bus waited near the entrance.
Its blue-and-white paint reflected the fading orange sunlight.
The association logo shone proudly on its side.
Players loaded their kit bags into the luggage compartment.
Excitement slowly replaced nervousness.
Tomorrow...
They would travel for their first inter-state tournament.
For many of them...
It would be the biggest stage of their young careers.
---
Before boarding, Coach Rana addressed the squad one final time.
"I have one rule."
Everyone looked toward him.
"If you’re in the Playing XI..."
He paused.
"...prepare like you’ll carry the match."
Then his eyes shifted toward the substitutes.
"If you’re not..."
Another pause.
"...prepare like you’ll play tomorrow."
Silence.
"Because cricket..."
He smiled faintly.
"...has a habit of changing plans."
Sahil remembered the district season.
One injury.
One opportunity.
Everything had changed.
Maybe...
History wasn’t finished repeating itself.
---
As darkness settled across the academy, Sahil climbed onto the team bus carrying his kit bag and HPCA blazer.
He chose a seat near the window.
The academy slowly disappeared behind him as the bus rolled through the gates.
He looked back one final time.
The practice nets stood empty beneath the floodlights.
The place that had exposed every weakness he possessed...
Had also transformed him.
A familiar blue light appeared before his eyes.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SYSTEM UPDATE
MAIN QUEST
Become a Permanent Member of the Himachal Pradesh State XI
Status: In Progress
Progress: 31%
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
NEW MILESTONE ACHIEVED
✔ Selected for Himachal Pradesh U-19 State Squad
Current Role:
Substitute
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
BONUS OBJECTIVE
Earn Your Playing XI Debut
Reward:
Unknown
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The screen slowly disappeared.
Sahil looked out of the window as the academy faded into the distance.
He wasn’t disappointed anymore.
He had learned something important.
A substitute wasn’t someone who had failed.
A substitute was someone standing one opportunity away from changing everything.
He smiled quietly.
Once before...
He had waited.
When the chance finally came...
He had become a district champion.
This time...
He would be ready again.
No matter how long the wait lasted.
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