A week passed amid intense training at WDCA.
With the Under-16 team already out of the league, Head Coach Rajkumar Sharma personally took charge of the Under-14 squad. Sessions grew longer, sharper, and more demanding. Fielding drills were repeated until legs burned, batting plans were discussed in detail, and bowlers were pushed to understand match situations rather than just bowl spells.
No one complained as everyone knew what was coming.
The final.
It was scheduled for October 2nd, 2011, and the venue alone made it special, Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium (now known as the Arun Jaitley Stadium) to most, it was simply the Kotla.
The ground carried history and controversy.
Just a year earlier, in 2010, the stadium had been banned due to concerns over dangerous pitches. Only after the BCCI relaid the surface were World Cup matches allowed to take place there again. Now, the DDCA Under-14 League Final was being held on the same ground.
~~~
The final would be contested between West Delhi Cricket Academy and Sonnet Cricket Club.
Sonnet.
The big bad Sonnet.
At the time, they were widely considered the best cricket club in Delhi. Season favorites, well-funded, well-connected and well-coached. On paper, they looked unbeatable.
Yet, no one dared underestimate WDCA.
They had lost just one match all season, and that too when their main squad had been rested. In every meaningful sense, they had gone through the league unbeaten. Still, public opinion leaned toward Sonnet. Reputation carried weight.
When both teams arrived at the stadium, a noticeable crowd had already gathered.
The BCCI had allowed 1000 seats to be opened for the match, and every single one was filled.
DDCA league matches rarely drew large attention, but finals were different.
First, it was being played at the Kotla. Second, DDCA often invited well-known cricketers as chief guests, making it a rare chance to see them up close. And third, serious cricket enthusiasts had turned up, knowing that future Delhi state players were being selected from these very matches.
Still, the majority of the crowd consisted of parents, nervous, hopeful, proud.
Before play began, both coaching staffs walked out to examine the pitch carefully. Memories of last year's ban were still fresh. No one wanted risks, especially not with children on the field. Parents were watching closely too.
After a thorough inspection, the surface was cleared. It was safe, true and balanced. Only then did the officials signal for the match to proceed.
The captains walked out for the toss, Ashnir Sehrawat for WDCA, and Sonnet's captain standing opposite him. The coin was flipped.
Sonnet won the toss.
Without hesitation, they chose to bat first.
Players began to take their positions. Fielders spread across the lush green outfield. The crowd settled in, anticipation humming through the stands.
The final had begun.
And everything they had worked for all season now came down to this one match.
~
Sonnet Cricket Club walked out with confidence.
They had earned that right.
From the first ball, their intent was clear, not reckless aggression, but controlled authority. Their openers played late, trusted the bounce, and drove on the up whenever the ball was full. WDCA's pacers found some movement early, but Sonnet's batters negotiated it cleanly.
The first ten overs belonged to Sonnet.
[SONNET 56/0]
[10 OVERS]
Abhay patrolled the covers, moving lightly, always adjusting. Twice he cut off certain boundaries with sharp stops, forcing batters to settle for singles where fours had seemed certain.
The first wicket came in the 12th over, edged behind off a good length ball. Sonnet didn't slow down. Their number three walked in confidently, immediately rotating strike and keeping the pressure on.
Abhay was introduced in the 14th over.
The moment he marked his run-up, the tone shifted.
Ball 1: Good length, angled across. Left alone. Dot.
Ball 2: Fuller, slightly slower. Driven, but straight to the fielder at cover. He stopped it cleanly and returned it instantly. Dot.
Ball 3: Back of a length. Punched into the off side for a single.
Ball 4: Slower ball. The batter checked his shot but didn't run. Dot.
Ball 5: On middle. Worked to mid-wicket, the fielder sprinted in from cover, backing up, and fired a flat return. No second run.
Ball 6: Good length again. Defended. Dot.
It was a quiet over, exactly as planned.
~
Sonnet pushed again from the other end, accelerating through the spinners. One of their top-order batters played a composed knock, mixing boundaries with clever placement.
By the halfway mark:
[SONNET 132/2]
[20 OVERS]
It was respectable and dangerous if not stopped.
Abhay was brought back in the 22nd over. This time, he struck.
Ball 1: Shorter length delivery. The batter went for the pull. The ball looped toward deep square leg but the fielder was already running.
He judged it perfectly, slowed just before the rope, and took the catch inches inside the boundary.
WICKET.
Ball 2: New batter, another good length delivery. Defended. Dot.
Ball 3: Slightly quicker. The batter pushed for a single. Ashnir charged in from point, barehanded pickup, one motion.
Direct hit at the striker's end.
Gone.
Two wickets in one over made Sonnet paused, still, their depth showed.
Their middle order rebuilt quickly, targeting WDCA's fifth bowler and rotating strike efficiently. Boundaries flowed again in the late twenties.
[SONNET 198/4]
[30 OVERS]
Abhay returned for his final spell in the 33rd over, the ball slightly older now.
Ball 1: Good length outside off. Beaten. Dot.
Ball 2: Slightly Fuller. Driven, but straight to cover. Dot.
Ball 3: Slower delivery. Blocked hastily. Dot.
Ball 4: On off stump. Blocked. Dot.
Ball 5: Back of a length. Late cut attempted but missed. Dot.
Ball 6: Good length again but played back to the bowler. Dot.
Maiden once more but Sonnet pushed hard in the final overs.
A lower-order batter swung freely, picking up a couple of boundaries, while another fell attempting a risky slog against Abhay, caught at long-on after Abhay positioned the fielder himself before the delivery.
He finished his spell calmly, walking back with just a small smile.
[ABHAY – 8 OVERS, 1 MAIDEN, 3 WICKETS, 42 RUNS]
The final over added a few more runs, but WDCA closed things out neatly.
When the innings ended:
[SONNET 275/8]
[40 OVERS]
It was a strong total worthy of Sonnet's reputation. But as Abhay adjusted his cap and walked toward the boundary, there was no sense of being overwhelmed.
The target was high but not unreachable and the final, it was still very much alive.
~
The chase began cautiously.
WDCA knew what 275 meant on this surface. It wasn't impossible, but it demanded discipline. The openers didn't go searching for boundaries early. They focused on timing, nudging singles, and letting the ball come to them.
Sonnet's bowlers were sharp from the start.
They hit the deck hard, bowled tight lines, and kept the field attacking. The required run rate crept upward quietly, without anyone noticing at first.
By the end of the 8th over, WDCA were still intact but behind the curve.
[WDCA 38/0]
The pressure told in the 10th over.
The first wicket fell to a mistimed drive, the ball catching the outer half and flying straight to cover. The batter walked back shaking his head.
Two balls later, another edge, this time to slip.
Just like that, WDCA were two down.
[WDCA 45/2]
[10 OVERS]
The crowd grew restless.
Abhay walked in at number 4. Helmet on, gloves adjusted, expression changed. He took guard and watched the field carefully.
Sonnet sensed blood.
Their bowlers attacked relentlessly, and wickets kept falling at the other end. A soft dismissal here, a rushed shot there. WDCA's innings threatened to unravel completely.
[WDCA 92/5]
[18 OVERS]
Abhay remained..
He rotated strike when possible, blocked when necessary, and punished the rare loose delivery. Still, the required run rate climbed.
Then the sixth batter walked in.
Abhay met him halfway.
"Take it slow," he said quietly. "I'll handle the rest."
The message was clear.
From there, the innings steadied. The partnership wasn't spectacular, but it was vital.
Singles into the gaps. Doubles only when there was a chance, and boundaries only when there was zero risks.
Abhay made sure the scoreboard kept moving just enough. His partner played within himself, content to rotate strike and survive.
Sonnet tried everything, short balls, slower ones, packed fields, but nothing worked.
By the 30th over, WDCA had clawed their way back.
[WDCA 190/5]
[30 OVERS]
The equation was tough but manageable.
Abhay tapped his bat once and looked at his partner.
"Now I go," he said and the 31st over exploded.
A length ball disappeared over midwicket. A slower one was waited on and launched straight back over the bowler's head. A short ball was pulled hard into the stands.
Twenty-plus runs came from one over and the crowd roared.
Abhay punched gloves with his partner then reset.
The next over was quiet. Just singles and a dot.
Then again, another big over with two boundaries and one towering six.
Abhay controlled the tempo perfectly. Big over, small over and then big over again. Never letting Sonnet settle, never letting the pressure flip back.
All the while, his partner did exactly what he was asked.
Survive.
Rotate.
Don't get out.
~
By the 37th over, WDCA were within touching distance.
[WDCA 263/5]
The crowd was on its feet now.
Sonnet's bowlers looked exhausted.
The bowler ran in full but directly on middle. Abhay stepped forward and swung freely.
The sound off the bat was unmistakable.
The ball sailed high, clean, powerful, and straight.
Six.
The ball landed beyond the rope beyond doubt.
[WDCA 276/5]
[37.3 OVERS]
[Abhay 148 (108)*]
The match was over.
Abhay stood still for a moment, bat resting on his shoulder, chest rising slowly.
Then the ground erupted.
WDCA had done it against Sonnet. In the final, under pressure.
Abhay turned toward the pavilion, finally allowing himself a smile.
This wasn't just a win.
This was a statement.
~
Once more, the players rushed onto the field.
Abhay barely had time to take a step before he was tackled to the ground, buried under a pile of bodies. The semi-final celebration had been pure joy, laughter, shouting, excitement but this time, in the final, it felt different.
This time, it was gratitude.
Everyone knew it.
Abhay had single-handedly won them the final. He had scored nearly half the runs himself, while the rest of the batting lineup had struggled to contribute the other half. Without him, there was no chase. No recovery. No trophy.
Lying there on the grass, Abhay finally allowed himself a big, unguarded smile.
This was his first tournament after returning to cricket and he had won it.
Not just won it, but dominated it and he had done so in front of the very people who decided the fate of Delhi's Under-14 team.
As he got to his feet, his eyes drifted toward the VIP area.
He had already noticed the chief guests earlier, Arun Jaitley, the DDCA President and one of the most powerful political figures in the country. Alongside him were senior DDCA executives. The selectors who had been present during the semi-finals were here as well.
And then there was the superstar.
The Nawab of Najafgarh himself, Virender Sehwag.
They were all clapping as they prepared to come down to the field. Then they stopped as Someone had approached them.
Abhay squinted slightly and froze. That was his dadu.
~~~
From the VIP stands, a loud voice rang out, "Ooe Jaitely!"
For a moment, the entire section went silent.
No one had expected someone to call the DDCA president, a senior politician, like that, with such casual familiarity. Heads turned immediately.
Then they saw Arun Jaitley smiling. He turned around with a wide grin.
"Khanne!"
The man standing there was Vijay Khanna, Abhay's grandfather.
The two of them stepped forward and shared a tight hug, laughing like old friends who hadn't met in years.
"Kaisa hai (How are you)?" Arun Jaitley asked warmly. "It's been ages, yaha kya kar rha hai (what are you doing here)?"
Vijay chuckled. "Pote ka match dekhne aaya tha. (Came here to see my grandson's match.)"
Arun turned toward the field. "Which one is yours?"
Vijay's chest puffed slightly as he smiled. "The superstar who won, Abhay."
Arun Jaitley looked back at the ground, eyes narrowing for a second before his smile widened even further.
"Haha," he said, waving a hand dismissively. "Tera pota, mera pota. (Your grandson, my grandson.) Don't worry, I'll handle the rest."
He motioned for the others to move ahead and stayed back with Vijay, the two of them walking together, laughing and reminiscing about old days as they followed behind.
A few steps away, two selectors exchanged glances.
They had been debating Abhay's selection because his age had been the only concern.
Silently, both of them wrote his name down under Delhi Under-14 and let out quiet sighs.
The kid didn't just have talent, he had luck too and connections with Delhi's highest cricketing authority.
~~~~~
{This was the kind of smooth sailing I was talking about, his family would have connection pretty up, but not at the highest level, the BCCI, those connections would develop as the story continues.}
{Anyway, he won his first tournament, and I had good practice too, so now, there won't be many matches in the tournaments, just few important ones until he reaches atleast IPL level, at that time I'd make a poll for whether you want all the matches or not, but don't fret over it, it's still a long while till we reach IPL.}