The first thing Aarav noticed at the India camp
was how quiet he became.
Not outside.
Inside.
---
## BCCI NATIONAL CAMP – MUMBAI
Venue: Wankhede Stadium
Year: 2008
Weather: Humid, heavy, unforgiving
The gates looked the same as always on television.
In person, they felt taller.
---
## WALKING IN – LOSS OF SCALE
Aarav dragged his kit bag across the concrete.
It made more noise than he wanted.
Everyone else seemed to glide.
He saw familiar faces—
but now they were different.
Not idols.
Colleagues.
And that was somehow worse.
---
## THE DRESSING ROOM – HIERARCHY WITHOUT WORDS
Sachin Tendulkar sat near the window, taping his bat.
No crowd.
No cameras.
Just ritual.
Sourav Ganguly laughed softly with Yuvraj.
Sehwag lay sprawled across two chairs.
Dhoni stood near the board, talking to selectors.
Nobody looked rushed.
Nobody looked impressed.
This was home for them.
For Aarav—
This was borrowed space.
---
## HIS LOCKER
A small tag.
**A. MALHOTRA**
Simple.
No stickers.
No legacy.
Yet.
He placed his bag down carefully.
Too carefully.
---
## FIRST INTERACTION – REALITY CHECK
Zaheer walked past.
Stopped.
"Camp nerves?"
Aarav smiled thinly.
"Something like that."
Zaheer nodded.
"Good. Means you care."
Then he walked away.
That was it.
No reassurance.
No advice.
---
## WARM-UP – FEELING INVISIBLE
The warm-up drills started.
Jogging.
Stretching.
Throwdowns.
Aarav stayed quiet.
No jokes.
No chatter.
He didn't want to interrupt the ecosystem.
He was learning its rhythm.
---
## NET SESSION – THE SHOCK
First throwdown.
Then medium pace.
Then—
Full run-up.
Ishant Sharma.
Ball one whistled past Aarav's bat.
Late.
Very late.
Ball two climbed awkwardly.
Inside edge.
Thigh pad.
Ishant didn't celebrate.
Didn't smirk.
Just turned and walked back.
That hurt more than a bouncer.
---
## INTERNAL PANIC – QUICK AND SHARP
*A step slow.*
*A fraction late.*
*Too careful.*
His hands tightened.
The bat felt heavier than usual.
---
## THE BALL THAT FOLLOWED
Ishant ran in again.
Good length.
Aarav trusted his hands.
Defended.
Solid.
Clean.
The sound—
That familiar, comforting sound.
He exhaled.
---
## A GLANCE FROM THE SIDE
Sachin had looked up.
Just once.
Just long enough.
That glance carried weight.
Not approval.
Acknowledgment.
---
## BREAK – SITTING WITH GIANTS
During the break, Aarav sat at the edge of the bench.
Yuvraj dropped beside him.
Quietly.
"No one feels ready on day one," Yuvraj said.
"Anyone who says otherwise is lying."
Aarav nodded.
"I feel… small," he admitted.
Yuvraj smiled.
"Good. Means you're seeing the room clearly."
---
## SELECTION MEETING – UNSEEN BUT FELT
Names were being discussed somewhere.
Not loudly.
Not urgently.
Casually.
That terrified Aarav.
Careless selection felt worse than intense scrutiny.
---
## EVENING NETS – FINDING A THREAD
Second session.
Aarav loosened.
Not mentally.
Physically.
He allowed himself one risk per over.
Just one.
A flick.
A punch.
A late dab.
Nothing reckless.
Nothing timid.
Balanced.
---
## BOWLING ROUND – ANOTHER TEST
Dhoni threw him the ball.
"One over," he said.
No buildup.
No explanation.
Aarav ran in.
First ball: good length, seam in.
Sehwag defended lazily.
Second: fuller.
Edge.
Dropped by slip.
Nobody reacted.
That silence again.
---
## THE WICKET
Third ball.
Back of length.
Sehwag pulled too early.
Top edge.
Caught at deep square.
Aarav stopped mid-stride.
Didn't celebrate.
Didn't know if he was allowed to.
Dhoni nodded once.
That was permission enough.
---
## END OF DAY – EXHAUSTION WITHOUT EXERTION
Back in the hotel room, Aarav collapsed onto the bed.
Not tired muscles.
Tired mind.
He hadn't played a match.
Yet he felt drained.
---
## CALL HOME – GROUNDED AGAIN
He called home.
His mother asked if he'd eaten.
His father asked if the bowling was fast.
Aarav laughed quietly.
"Yes," he said. "Very."
No one asked if he belonged.
They assumed he did.
---
## FINAL MOMENT – UNDERSTANDING
Before sleeping, Aarav opened his notebook.
He wrote slowly.
> *This room is big because the standards are big.*
> *Not because I am small.*
He closed the book.
Tomorrow, there would be another net.
Another glance.
Another test.
But tonight—
He let himself feel it all.
The fear.
The pride.
The weight.
Because this was what arriving really felt like.
Not applause.
Responsibility.
---
**END OF CHAPTER 96**