Wearing India colors doesn't make you better.
It makes your mistakes louder.
---
## DAY TWO – PRACTICE MATCH ANNOUNCEMENT
The notice went up quietly.
No press.
No ceremony.
**India Probables vs India Possibles**
50-over practice match
Closed doors.
Aarav read it twice.
Practice match.
But his stomach tightened like it was a final.
---
## TEAM SHEETS – WHERE YOU ARE PLACED MATTERS
Names were pinned on the board.
Sachin Tendulkar
Virender Sehwag
Gautam Gambhir
Yuvraj Singh
MS Dhoni (wk)
…
Aarav scanned down.
Lower.
Lower.
There.
**Aarav Malhotra – No. 6**
He swallowed.
Lower middle order.
Utility slot.
Not trusted.
Not dismissed.
Evaluated.
---
## WALK TO THE GROUND – NEW JERSEY, OLD FEAR
The blue jersey felt different.
He'd worn blue before.
Junior levels.
India A.
This blue was heavier.
Thicker.
As if soaked in decades of expectation.
He tugged at the collar once.
Then stopped.
Didn't want to look uncomfortable.
---
## FIELDING FIRST – TEST WITHOUT A BAT
Dhoni won the toss.
"Field."
Short. Final.
Aarav was placed at deep midwicket.
Not involved.
Not ignored.
Watching.
---
## FIRST REAL MISTAKE – AND THE SOUND IT MAKES
Sehwag mistimed a pull.
The ball flew toward Aarav.
High.
Swirling.
For half a second, the sun blinded him.
He adjusted late.
The ball hit his palms.
Spilled.
It hit the grass.
Silence.
Not shock.
Not anger.
Just a pause.
Aarav's chest tightened.
Sehwag waved him off casually.
"No worries."
That almost hurt more.
---
## INTERNAL SPIRAL – QUICK AND UGLY
*You don't drop those here.*
*Not in this room.*
*Not in this color.*
He threw the ball back harder than necessary.
Dhoni glanced once.
Said nothing.
---
## RECOVERY – QUIET, UNSEEN
Two overs later.
Another chance.
Harder.
Lower.
Aarav moved early this time.
Hands soft.
Catch taken clean.
No celebration.
Just a nod.
From Zaheer at mid-off.
That nod steadied him.
---
## BATTING INNINGS – WAITING IS TORTURE
Wickets fell steadily.
Not collapse.
Not dominance.
Controlled cricket.
Aarav padded up at 32/3.
Then sat down.
Yuvraj came in.
Then Dhoni.
Overs ticked.
The number beside his name didn't move.
---
## CALLED IN – HEART IN THROAT
At 142/5, Dhoni walked back.
He looked at Aarav.
"Next."
One word.
That was all.
---
## WALKING OUT – NOTHING FEELS FAMILIAR
No crowd.
No noise.
Yet Aarav's ears rang.
Sachin was at the non-striker's end.
That was wrong.
Legends weren't supposed to share the crease with you.
---
## FIRST BALL – INDIA COLORS, INDIA PRESSURE
Medium pace.
Fuller than expected.
Aarav checked the drive.
Inside half.
Straight to mid-on.
Dot.
He felt the sweat on his palms.
---
## SECOND BALL – DECISION POINT
Short of a length.
Pullable.
In IPL, he'd attack.
Here—
He hesitated.
Defended instead.
Sachin glanced down the pitch.
Not judging.
Observing.
---
## THE ADVICE – SIMPLE, DEADLY
Between balls, Sachin spoke quietly.
"Play your shots."
Nothing else.
No technique.
No philosophy.
Permission.
---
## RELEASE – JUST A LITTLE
Next ball.
Same length.
This time Aarav rolled his wrists.
Controlled pull.
Along the ground.
**FOUR.**
The sound off the bat felt right.
Pure.
Sachin smiled faintly.
That smile unclenched something inside Aarav.
---
## PARTNERSHIP – BREATHING SPACE
They rotated strike.
No risks.
No heroics.
Sachin anchored.
Aarav supported.
The scoreboard moved.
So did Aarav's confidence.
---
## SCORE SNAPSHOT
India Probables: **176/5 (38 overs)**
Aarav: **18 (21 balls)**
Not impressive.
But alive.
---
## THE MOMENT OF OVERREACH
Over 40.
Spinner tossed one up.
Aarav saw it early.
Too early.
He went for elevation.
The ball dipped.
Mis-hit.
High to long-on.
Caught.
---
## WALK BACK – EXPECTING DISAPPOINTMENT
He didn't look up.
Didn't want to read faces.
But as he passed Sachin—
"Good intent," Sachin said softly.
That sentence echoed louder than applause.
---
## FINAL SCORE
India Probables: **241/8**
Competitive.
Not dominant.
---
## POST-MATCH – THE REAL VERDICT
No speeches.
No announcements.
Just showers.
Ice baths.
Quiet conversations.
Dhoni stopped Aarav near the doorway.
"Fielding drop," he said.
Aarav nodded.
"You recovered."
Another nod.
"That matters."
Then Dhoni walked away.
That was feedback.
---
## EVENING – THE WEIGHT RETURNS
Back in the room, Aarav finally felt it.
The emotional crash.
His hands trembled slightly as he untied his shoes.
Not from fear.
From release.
---
## CALL HOME – TRUTH THIS TIME
"How was it?" his mother asked.
Aarav exhaled.
"Hard," he said honestly.
His father chuckled softly.
"Good," he replied.
"If it was easy, it wouldn't be India."
---
## FINAL REALIZATION
Aarav wrote in his notebook.
> *IPL tests skill.*
> *India tests nerve.*
He closed it.
Tomorrow, there would be another session.
Another evaluation.
Another silent judgment.
But tonight—
He finally understood something important.
The blue jersey doesn't lift you.
It presses down.
And only those who learn to stand under it
get to wear it again.
---
**END OF CHAPTER 97**