Click.
Abhay pressed the remote button, and the TV turned off. The entire room fell silent.
His parents, grandfather, brother and his brother's wife all sat quietly as they registered India's loss in yet another World Cup, the 2023 ODI World Cup. Abhay sighed softly as he glanced down at his legs, one of them strikingly metal.
He, too, had once harbored dreams of becoming a cricketer. However, reality wasn't always supportive. Just one accident, and the boy touted as a great cricketing talent became a genius business prodigy. He had to shift all his attention from cricket to business, and at just twenty-three, he and his elder brother Rohit had taken their family's supermarket business to the greatest heights possible in India.
Their father became the third richest person in the country, since all the business was still under his name. However, everyone knew who had truly made this possible, Abhay and Rohit. Yet, it brought Abhay no real happiness. After all, he couldn't enjoy his greatest passion: cricket.
He sighed as he stood up and left the living room, which screamed of luxury. No one offered him any words. They all knew how much he loved cricket, so they understood that he needed time.
Abhay went to the giant garden in their backyard and lay down on the grass. His phone rang, and he saw the call from his cousin and best friend, Aryan. He picked it up and put it on speaker beside him.
Aryan's voice came through.
"Hey…"
It was consoling, as if he already knew what Abhay was feeling. Abhay smiled softly, his hand caressing his hair as he replied quietly,
"Hey…"
No more words were exchanged as they let the silence continue.
After a while, Abhay spoke.
"Aru, I really want to play cricket. Wear the blue jersey, hold the World Cup, and just… feel happy."
Aryan sighed on the other side. "I know, tiger. I want to see you play cricket too. After all, that was the last time I saw you truly happy."
Abhay stretched his hand upward, pointing toward a star, then closed his hand into a fist as if trying to grab it. He repeated once again,
"I want to play cricket once more. Wear the blue jersey and win the World Cup."
Just like that, the night stretched on, and Abhay fell asleep.
~
Abhay opened his eyes groggily as he heard some noise. Half-asleep, he assumed it was just Ramu Kaka coming to tend to the garden, so he muttered drowsily,
"Not now, Kaka…"
The noise, however, didn't stop.
Frowning, Abhay sat up immediately. Everyone knew that sleep was the only thing he loved almost as much as cricket, and no one disturbed him unless it was extremely important.
Yet the moment he sat up, something felt wrong.
There was a faint sense of disorientation, something that shouldn't have happened. He had worked hard to maintain his balance even with a prosthetic leg. This feeling was… unfamiliar.
As his eyes opened fully, confusion set in.
Instead of the open sky he had fallen asleep under, he found himself staring at a ceiling. A very familiar ceiling.
It was the room he used to share with his elder brother until he was ten. After that, he'd gotten his own room. Later, when they built a bigger house, he'd gotten an even bigger one.
This room shouldn't exist anymore.
That thought barely had time to settle before shock followed.
He looked down at himself.
This wasn't his older body, the one that turned heads, the one shaped by years of discipline and work. No, this was small, too small. Soft, almost fragile.
The body of a five-year-old.
Abhay prided himself on staying calm, on smiling through even the worst situations, but this time he couldn't. Panic surged through him as he threw the blanket aside.
What came into view was a tiny body, barely around a hundred centimeters tall.
He was wearing a tiger onesie.
His breath hitched.
His bua, (father's sister) had gifted him that onesie on his fifth birthday.
Hands trembling, he struggled to take it off. His heart pounded violently as he tried to reach the zipper at the back but couldn't. He needed to see his leg.
If this wasn't a dream… then he would still have it.
The leg that had been amputated after the accident.
Unable to reach the zipper, Abhay jumped down from the bed. The cold floor sent a sharp shiver up his spine.
And then he froze.
He could feel it.
The floor beneath his feet, the chill, the pressure.
He could feel through his leg.
Not a prosthetic.
A real leg.
For a moment, his heart stopped, then it began to race uncontrollably.
'I can play cricket again.'
The thought crashed into him with overwhelming force.
Abhay immediately dropped to his knees, his face locked in stunned disbelief as tears began to stream down his cheeks. His gaze fell on the small idol of Goddess Durga placed in his room.
He scrambled toward it in a hurry, knelt again, and bowed his head deeply.
"Thank you… thank you…" he muttered repeatedly, his voice breaking as he sobbed. He kept thanking her, pleading for this to be real, begging that it wouldn't disappear when he woke up.
He didn't know how this had happened. He didn't even know if it was real.
But his Dadi had always said that if you prayed for something with all your heart, it would come true.
After a long while, when his breathing finally steadied, Abhay folded his hands once more and bowed before Durga Maa. Then he slowly returned to his bed, his mind racing as he tried to understand what was truly happening.
He pinched his cheek to make sure this was real.
Pain flared instantly.
"Ah!" He hastily let go and rubbed his cheek, wincing. The pain lingered.
It was real.
Which meant… this was real.
'But then what happened?' he thought, his mind racing. 'How did I come back to when I was five?'
At that moment, a blue screen appeared before his eyes.
[WELCOME, HOST. YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED BY THE STARS. YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A CHANCE TO LIVE AGAIN AND PLAY CRICKET, WEAR THE BLUE JERSEY, AND WIN THE WORLD CUP FOR INDIA.]
Abhay's eyes widened as he stared at the floating screen. Shock gave way to disbelief, and then to pure joy.
"So… I really have been reborn," he whispered. "I can play cricket again."
The text on the screen shifted.
[TO ASSIST THE HOST ON THIS JOURNEY, A SYSTEM HAS BEEN GRANTED. SYSTEM NAME: THE GREATEST CRICKETER SYSTEM. PLEASE USE THE COMMAND 'STATUS' TO ACCESS FURTHER INFORMATION.]
Abhay couldn't help but laugh.
This felt unreal, like he had become the main character of a fanfic. An unfulfilled life, a second chance, and now even a system to go along with it.
He shook his head, still smiling. 'Status!'
The blue screen expanded slightly, and new information appeared.
[WELCOME TO THE GREATEST CRICKETER SYSTEM, HOST. THIS SYSTEM EXISTS TO ASSIST YOU IN BECOMING THE GREATEST CRICKETER EVER.]
Abhay nodded slightly and asked, 'System, what are your functions?'
The response appeared almost immediately.
[THE SYSTEM WILL TRACK THE HOST'S CRICKET JOURNEY IN REAL TIME.
ADDITIONALLY, A LUCKY DRAW FEATURE IS AVAILABLE TWICE EVERY FIVE YEARS, AS WELL AS DURING MOMENTS OF EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE.
ALL SKILLS PROVIDED BY THE SYSTEM ARE PASSIVE AND WILL GROW WITH THE HOST.
THE HOST MUST GRIND AND DEVELOP THESE SKILLS PERSONALLY TO GAIN THEIR FULL BENEFITS.]
Another line followed.
[Note: The system can only assist if the Host puts in the effort himself. No active skills will be provided. There will be no shortcuts to greatness. If the Host wishes to become the greatest, he must work harder than anyone else.]
Abhay read the messages carefully, then smiled softly.
He was glad. Truly glad.
He liked sleeping, he liked relaxing, but cricket was different. Cricket was love. He had never once held back when it came to working hard for the game. If a system had simply handed him greatness without effort, it would have felt like a betrayal.
This system… felt right.
He examined the system more closely.
[ATTRIBUTES]
BATTING: 6% (Limited due to age)
BOWLING: 6% (Limited due to age)
FIELDING: 9% (Limited due to age)
CAPTAINCY: 15% (Will only increase if the host captains a team or makes valuable contributions as a vice-captain.)
[NOTE: The host's previous experience as a Delhi Under-14 player could not be carried forward due to age limits. However, experience gain will be faster until the host reaches his previous level. After that, growth will return to a normal pace.]
[NOTE: 10% is the limit for gully/school-level cricket. 20% is the limit for Under-12 cricket. 30% is the limit for Under-14 cricket. 100% represents the greatest ever. The host is advised to explore further on his own.]
[TALENTS: Calm Mind, Smiling Tiger, Cricket Prodigy, Business Master, Sleep Lover, Sweet Tooth.]
[SKILLS: 2 Spins Available.]
Abhay went through his attributes and talents one by one. Slowly, he realized that his skills would increase quickly until around 30%, since he had previously played for Delhi Under-14. After that point, he would have to grind hard like everyone else.
He wasn't sad about it.
Though he had the Sleep Lover talent, he would never compromise cricket for sleep. Even if he had to give up some rest, he would do it without hesitation if it meant fulfilling his greatest wish.
And while the system didn't gift him free experience, it gave him something most cricketers never had, the ability to clearly track his own progress. Millions of players across India trained blindly, never knowing where they truly stood.
He also had two spins available.
'System, use the two spins,"' he said without hesitation.
After the spins completed, Abhay received his first set of skills.
[1. Adaptive Healing (Locked Skill): The host will possess naturally faster healing, reduced injury downtime, and better recovery. Lost organs cannot be regenerated. This skill is not upgradable, as further enhancement would exceed human limits.]
[2. Instinct Calibration: The host will develop stronger natural instincts, allowing anticipation of the ball's landing position before it actually falls.
This provides a significant boost to fielding ability. This skill grows with the host, and higher levels will grant greater benefits.]
Abhay's smile widened uncontrollably.
Both skills were perfect for his current self. At this age, he couldn't bat or bowl properly, his body simply lacked the strength. Fielding, however, was something he could practice freely, whether with his brother or with Aryan.
And the first skill…
That was the greatest benefit of all.
Even if it couldn't regrow lost organs, faster healing alone was invaluable. Cricket and injuries went hand in hand. With better recovery, he would always have an edge over others.
As the skills settled into his body, a faint tingling sensation spread through him. He closed his eyes instinctively. When he opened them again, nothing seemed different, but he knew the skills had taken effect.
He would test them soon enough.
Abhay stood up and stretched his small body. Once again, he went over to thank Durga Maa, then quickly wiped his face clean. If his family saw the tear stains, they would panic and fuss over him even more than usual.
Taking a deep breath, he walked toward the door. The handle was still above his height, so he jumped slightly to grab it.
It was time to see his family again.
~~~~~
{Only passive skills would be rewarded to him throughout the fic, not a single one would be an active one. If you have any recommendations for the skills, comment them down, I'll consider them.}
{Also, how was the first chapter, what did you think, comment you thoughts.}