Cricket Ascend System

Chapter 14: The Cost Of Power

Sahil had never noticed exhaustion during gully cricket before.

Because earlier—

he usually got out quickly.

A few swings.

A few misses.

Then fielding near the drain.

That was his old routine.

But now?

Now he was batting long innings.

Explosive innings.

And his body was struggling to keep up.

Match Situation

Shastri Strikers — 79/3 (7 Overs)

Target: 158

Required: 79 Runs from 48 Balls

Sahil Choudhary — 46 (18)

Ravi Mehta — 11 (16)

The crowd buzzed loudly around the lane.

Even balcony aunties had stopped pretending to hang clothes now.

Everyone watched only one thing—

Sahil batting.

Harshit wiped sweat from his forehead before starting another over.

This time his expression looked serious.

No smirking.

No jokes.

Because the Royals finally understood something dangerous:

Sahil didn’t need perfect cricket shots to destroy momentum.

One mistake—

or even one almost mistake—

and the ball still disappeared.

First ball.

Good yorker.

Sahil dug it out somehow.

Single.

No boundary.

And immediately—

his chest tightened slightly.

The sprint felt heavier than before.

PHYSICAL ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Reaction Speed: Dropping slightly.

Footwork Efficiency: Reduced by 7%.

Primary Cause: Accumulated fatigue.

Sahil frowned slightly.

That was bad. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Very bad.

Because now he understood why professional players trained so much physically.

Power alone wasn’t enough.

You needed endurance to repeat it.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Meanwhile Ravi slowly took control from the other end.

Smart singles.

Occasional twos.

Pressure rotation.

The kind of batting Sahil barely noticed earlier.

But now—

he appreciated it.

Because Ravi was buying him recovery time.

"Breathe slower," Ravi muttered quietly between balls.

"Don’t try six every ball."

Sahil nodded.

Sweat dripped down his neck.

Wrists aching slightly now.

Next over—

spin returned.

And honestly?

That helped.

Sahil could read slower bowling much better now.

Second ball.

Flighted slightly outside leg.

Sahil stepped forward aggressively.

SWING.

Not clean.

Again.

But powerful enough.

SIX over cow corner.

The crowd exploded instantly.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 51%

Timing: 43%

Positive: ✔ Better lower-body stability ✔ Improved reading of slower delivery

Weakness: Bat face still closing early under aggressive swings.

Harshit stared from the boundary in disbelief.

"How are half his mishits sixes..."

Even Sameer Malik, watching nearby today, shook his head slowly.

"That power is abnormal."

But the system didn’t care about crowd reactions.

Only improvement.

Only flaws.

Only progression.

Two overs later—

Sahil finally reached fifty.

A huge pull shot landed near Sharma Electronics again.

Kids sprinted after the ball screaming loudly.

SAHIL CHOUDHARY — 52 (24)

4 Fours

5 Sixes

For a moment—

the lane genuinely sounded like a stadium.

Cheers echoed everywhere.

Even shopkeepers clapped now.

The same people who once mocked him openly.

Then came the most dangerous phase of the chase.

The final four overs.

Score Update

Shastri Strikers — 112/4 (11 Overs)

Required: 46 Runs from 24 Balls

Sahil Choudhary — 55 (27)

Ravi Mehta — 23 (28)

Still possible.

But pressure rising again.

And Harshit returned to bowl.

First ball—

short and fast.

Sahil swung too hard.

TOP EDGE.

The ball flew absurdly high.

Everyone screamed.

Three fielders gathered underneath.

Simple catch.

Dead simple.

Then—

collision.

The catch dropped again.

The ball rolled away for FOUR.

The entire lane exploded laughing.

Harshit looked ready to lose his mind.

"This guy survives on nonsense!"

Even Sahil looked embarrassed.

Because honestly—

that should’ve been out.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 11%

Timing: 9%

Shot Result: Extremely fortunate outcome.

Critical Error: Host lost head position entirely during pull attempt.

Immediate Recommendation: Reduce panic swings against short pace bowling.

That analysis hurt more than getting mocked.

Because it was true.

The system never lied.

And deep down—

Sahil knew he still wasn’t a complete batter yet.

Just a terrifying hitter.