Nothing in cricket is louder than a list.
Especially when you're not sure
whether you're on it.
---
## MORNING – CAMP DAY THREE
Mumbai woke up early.
So did Aarav.
He hadn't slept badly.
He hadn't slept well.
He just… hadn't slept deep.
The practice match from yesterday replayed in fragments:
the dropped catch,
Sachin's quiet words,
Dhoni's flat voice.
*You recovered. That matters.*
Did it matter enough?
---
## BREAKFAST – SILENCE WITH MEANING
The dining hall was full.
But conversation was thin.
Sachin read the newspaper.
Sehwag joked with Gambhir.
Yuvraj scrolled through his phone.
Everyone acted normal.
That was the scariest part.
Aarav sat with his plate untouched.
Not from nerves.
From waiting.
---
## RUMOURS ARRIVE BEFORE OFFICIALS
Someone's phone buzzed.
Then another.
Low murmurs.
Aarav didn't need to ask.
He could feel it.
The list was ready.
It always leaked before it landed.
---
## THE MESSAGE THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE COME
Aarav's phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
Text message.
> *"Heard you're in the probables but not sure if they'll go with experience."*
No name.
No source.
Just poison disguised as information.
He locked the phone.
Put it face down.
Zaheer noticed.
"Don't read it," he said quietly.
Too late.
---
## PRE-SELECTION NETS – THE LAST TEST THAT ISN'T A TEST
They still trained.
As if selection wasn't about to happen.
As if this was just another camp.
Aarav batted well.
Not brilliantly.
Clean drives.
Sharp singles.
One pull shot that made contact sing.
But every ball felt judged.
Not by coaches.
By fate.
---
## FIELDING DRILL – REDEMPTION WITHOUT APPLAUSE
High catches.
One after another.
Aarav took every single one.
Clean.
Safe.
Uncelebrated.
Dhoni watched from behind the stumps.
Said nothing.
But he stayed.
That felt important.
---
## LUNCH – TIME SLOWS DOWN
The announcement was scheduled for 3 PM.
At 1:30, time stopped behaving normally.
Forks clinked louder.
Fans outside the gate sounded closer.
Aarav pushed food around his plate.
Yuvraj leaned in.
"You remember your first state selection?" he asked.
Aarav nodded.
"I threw up," Yuvraj said casually.
Aarav blinked.
Yuvraj grinned.
"This feels worse, right?"
Aarav laughed.
That laugh saved him.
---
## 2:47 PM – WALK TO THE ROOM
They were called in.
One by one.
Not together.
That was deliberate.
Aarav's name came last.
That meant nothing.
It meant everything.
---
## THE ROOM – NO DRAMA, JUST TRUTH
The selection panel sat calmly.
Files.
Notepads.
Neutral faces.
Dhoni stood slightly apart.
Kirsten sat with his hands folded.
Aarav stood straight.
Hands behind his back.
Breathing steady.
---
## THE SPEAKING BEGINS
The chairman cleared his throat.
"We've discussed your performances."
Aarav nodded.
"In the IPL."
"In India A."
"In camp."
Pause.
"You're not the finished product."
That sentence landed heavy.
Then—
"You don't need to be."
Aarav's heartbeat skipped.
---
## THE WORD THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
"You're selected."
Just that.
No buildup.
No flourish.
Selected.
For India.
T20 squad.
---
## THE AFTERMATH – STRANGE AND QUIET
Aarav said thank you.
He meant it.
He walked out slowly.
The corridor looked the same.
But it wasn't.
---
## THE TEXT HE FINALLY SENDS
One message.
To his father.
> *I'm in.*
The reply came instantly.
> *I never doubted it.*
Aarav closed his eyes.
Just for a second.
---
## OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – THE LIST GOES LIVE
Television screens lit up.
**INDIA T20 SQUAD (2008):**
- MS Dhoni (C)
- Virender Sehwag
- Gautam Gambhir
- Yuvraj Singh
- Suresh Raina
- Rohit Sharma
- **Aarav Malhotra**
- Irfan Pathan
- Harbhajan Singh
- Zaheer Khan
- Ishant Sharma
- RP Singh
Aarav stared at his name.
Middle.
Not last.
That mattered.
---
## MEDIA ZONE – FIRST QUESTIONS AS "INDIA PLAYER"
Microphones appeared instantly.
"How does it feel?"
"Do you feel ready?"
"Replacing experience—pressure?"
Aarav answered honestly.
"I don't know if I'm ready," he said.
"But I know I'll be prepared."
Some nodded.
Some didn't.
That was okay.
---
## NIGHT – ALONE AGAIN, DIFFERENTLY
Back in the hotel room, Aarav sat on the bed.
The same place.
The same walls.
Different weight.
He took out the blue jersey.
Folded.
Untouched.
He didn't wear it.
Not yet.
He placed it carefully beside him.
Like something sacred.
---
## FINAL ENTRY – THE HARDEST TRUTH
He opened his notebook one last time that night.
> *Selection isn't the destination.*
> *It's the beginning of being judged without mercy.*
He closed the book.
Turned off the light.
Tomorrow, training would resume.
Soon, matches would begin.
The nation would watch.
But tonight—
He allowed himself one thing.
A quiet smile.
Because a boy who once played
without anyone watching
was now trusted to play
when everyone would.
---
**END OF CHAPTER 98**