Cricket Ascend System

Chapter 16: The Weight Of Expectations

The scariest thing about becoming famous in gully cricket—

was how quickly people stopped being surprised.

Just one week ago, Sahil hitting sixes shocked everybody.

Now?

People expected it.

Demanded it.

If he played a dot ball—

the crowd reacted louder than before.

Match Situation

Shastri Strikers — 134/4 (13 Overs)

Target: 158

Required: 24 Runs from 12 Balls

Sahil Choudhary — 71 (36)

Ravi Mehta — 26 (32)

The lane buzzed with nervous energy.

Nobody sat anymore.

Even the younger kids had climbed walls and scooters for a better view.

Because this had become the biggest chase Riverside Gully had seen in months.

And at the center of everything—

stood Sahil.

Harshit walked back slowly to his field.

Breathing heavily.

Frustrated beyond belief.

He had bowled well today.

Actually well.

Yet Sahil kept surviving.

Not perfectly.

Not elegantly.

But dangerously.

Ravi walked over between overs.

"Twenty-four in twelve."

Sahil nodded.

"Possible."

Ravi smirked.

"You saying that confidently feels weird."

Honestly—

Sahil thought the same.

A month ago, even chasing sixty felt impossible for him.

Now?

One-fifty-plus felt reachable.

But the system suddenly appeared again.

MATCH CONDITION ALERT

Mental excitement rising rapidly.

Risk Assessment: High.

Recent Trend: Host attempting boundary options too early after successful shots.

Recommendation: Maintain shot discipline.

Sahil clicked his tongue internally.

The system really never let him enjoy anything peacefully.

Next over started with spin again.

Probably because the Royals feared Sahil against pace now.

Which honestly made sense.

Even his mishits traveled ridiculously far against fast bowling.

First ball.

Flighted wider outside off.

Sahil charged immediately.

Too aggressively.

SWING.

MISS.

Wicketkeeper barely failed to stump him.

The entire lane gasped.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Mistakes: ✘ Pre-decided attack ✘ Poor distance judgment ✘ Head falling toward leg side

Bowler Intent: Exploiting host impatience during finishing phase.

Sahil stepped back quietly.

That was ugly.

Very ugly.

And dangerous.

Second ball.

Same bowler slowed it further.

This time Sahil stayed still longer.

Then whipped hard through deep midwicket.

FOUR.

The crowd exploded instantly.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 78%

Timing: 74%

Positive: ✔ Better patience before commitment ✔ Improved balance stability

Again.

The difference was patience.

Every good shot came after reading properly.

Every bad shot came after panic.

The pattern was becoming obvious now.

Required:

20 Runs from 10 Balls

Third ball.

Single.

Ravi rotated strike calmly next ball.

Then another single.

Pressure slowly tightening again.

Required:

18 Runs from 7 Balls

Then came the moment everyone remembered afterward.

The bowler attempted a faster flat delivery.

Too short.

Sahil reacted instantly.

PULL.

The sound echoed through the entire lane.

THOCK.

Not a mishit.

Not luck.

Pure connection.

The ball flew over square leg...

over the scooters...

and disappeared onto a second-floor balcony.

Absolute madness erupted instantly.

People screamed louder than before because everybody knew:

That was the cleanest six Sahil had ever hit.

Even Harshit looked stunned now.

Because this wasn’t random power anymore.

This was becoming skill.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 96%

Timing: 91%

Positive: ✔ Elite reaction adjustment ✔ Proper short-ball positioning ✔ Excellent bat acceleration path

Major Note: Host successfully combined timing with natural power output.

Sahil’s heartbeat quickened slightly after reading that.

Elite?

The system used the word elite?

For the first time—

the possibility of becoming truly good felt real.

Score Update

Shastri Strikers — 147/4 (14 Overs)

Required: 11 Runs from 6 Balls

Sahil Choudhary — 82 (41)

Ravi Mehta — 28 (34)

Final over.

Entire Riverside Gully stood frozen.

One over away from either heartbreak—

or the biggest chase the lane had seen in years.

The final over of a gully cricket match felt different from real cricket.

Closer.

Louder.

More personal.

There were no stadium speakers.

No giant crowds.

No cameras.

But when twenty boys from nearby colonies surrounded a narrow lane screaming after every ball—

it felt bigger than any stadium.

And right now—

Riverside Gully was shaking.

Final Over

Shastri Strikers — 147/4 (14 Overs)

Target: 158

Required: 11 Runs from 6 Balls

Sahil Choudhary — 82 (41)

Ravi Mehta — 28 (34)

Bowler: Harshit Rana

Harshit rolled the ball inside his palms slowly before walking back.

No smiling now.

No arrogance.

Just tension.

Because somehow—

the match had slipped from complete control.

And most of that damage came from one person.

Sahil.

Meanwhile Sahil adjusted his grip quietly.

Breathing heavily.

Shirt soaked with sweat.

Wrists aching.

Legs slower than earlier.

The innings was catching up to him physically now.

But mentally?

He felt sharper than ever.

The system appeared silently.

MATCH PRESSURE ANALYSIS

Current Mental State: Focused but emotionally accelerated.

Fatigue Level: Moderate.

Current Batting Rhythm: Stable.

Warning: Host tendency toward over-aggression during winning moments still active.

Sahil ignored the last line intentionally.

Because honestly—

he wanted to finish this match badly.

Too badly.

Harshit started the over.

First ball.

Fast yorker outside off.

Sahil reached hard.

Inside edge.

The ball rolled toward fine leg.

Single.

Required:

10 Runs from 5 Balls

Ravi took strike now.

The entire lane shouted instructions instantly.

"Rotate!"

"Give Sahil strike!"

"Don’t do hero-giri!"

Ravi smirked helplessly.

As if he needed reminding.

Second ball.

Slower delivery.

Ravi nudged calmly toward covers.

Quick single.

Good running.

Required:

9 Runs from 4 Balls

Sahil back on strike. ƒrēewebnovel.com

The pressure felt heavier now.

Even the younger kids had stopped talking.

Everyone waited.

Third ball.

Short.

Too short.

Sahil’s eyes widened instantly.

HOOK.

CRACK.

The ball launched high toward deep square leg.

For a second—

everyone thought six.

Then—

bounce before boundary.

FOUR.

The lane exploded anyway.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 73%

Timing: 81%

Positive: ✔ Excellent short-ball recognition ✔ Improved control under pressure

Weakness: Slightly early shoulder opening reduced elevation angle.

Required:

5 Runs from 3 Balls

Harshit looked furious now.

Because every mistake against Sahil got punished instantly.

Even small mistakes.

Fourth ball.

Perfect yorker.

Sahil dug it out somehow.

No run.

Huge cheers from the Royals.

Required:

5 Runs from 2 Balls

The pressure returned immediately.

Ravi walked toward Sahil quickly.

"Don’t force it."

Sahil nodded slowly.

But internally—

his heartbeat hammered violently now.

Because this moment felt important.

More important than normal gully cricket should feel.

Fifth ball.

Slower ball.

Wide outside off.

Sahil chased instinctively.

THICK EDGE.

The ball flew absurdly over short third man.

FOUR.

The entire gully lost its mind.

Even Sahil almost laughed.

Because honestly—

that shot was terrible.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 18%

Timing: 21%

Result Cause: ✔ Extreme bat speed ✔ Edge trajectory favorable

Critical Error: Host abandoned positioning fundamentals under pressure.

The system sounded almost disappointed.

But the crowd didn’t care.

At all.

Required:

1 Run from 1 Ball

Scores level if they tied.

Win with one run.

Simple.

Yet suddenly—

everything felt tense again.

Because everybody knew something dangerous about gully cricket:

One ball changes everything.

Always.

Harshit stood silently before the final delivery.

Then smiled suddenly.

Not angry.

Not frustrated.

Confident.

That expression bothered Sahil instantly.

Final ball.

Harshit bowled slower.

Much slower.

Sahil swung early.

Way too early.

MISS.

The ball hit the back wall behind him and rebounded slightly away.

The keeper fumbled for half a second.

"RUN!"

Ravi screamed instantly.

Sahil reacted late.

Both sprinted desperately.

The throw came flying toward the bricks used as stumps.

Direct hit.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Everybody stared.

Nobody moved.

Then Bunty screamed first.

"SAFE!"

Chaos exploded immediately.

Absolute madness.

Kids rushed into the lane.

Players shouting everywhere.

Someone lifted Ravi.

Someone else grabbed Sahil from behind.

The Shastri Strikers had actually done it.

FINAL SCORE

Shastri Strikers — 158/4 (15 Overs)

Won by 6 wickets

Sahil Choudhary — 90* (46)

8 Sixes

5 Fours

Ninety.

Not even a hundred.

Yet somehow—

that innings became legendary inside Riverside Gully.

Because everybody watching knew one thing:

The old Sahil Choudhary could never have played like this.

Never.

As the celebrations continued—

the system appeared quietly one final time.

MATCH COMPLETE

Major Chase Victory Achieved.

Performance Evaluation: Excellent.

Strengths: ✔ Pressure handling improved ✔ Shot adaptation improving ✔ Timing growth visible

Critical Weaknesses Remaining: ✘ Excessive dependence on power recovery ✘ Impatience against slower pace variation ✘ Stamina decline during long innings

REWARDS

+3 Free Stat Points

+2 Match Awareness

+1 Crowd Pressure Resistance

Bonus Mission Failed: Finish innings with strike rate above 220.

Final Strike Rate: 195.65

Sahil stared at the blue screen silently while chaos surrounded him.

Even after all that—

the system still showed flaws first.

Not achievements.

Flaws.

And strangely—

he liked that.

Because deep down—

he knew this wasn’t the end of his journey.

Not even close.

Riverside Gully had only witnessed the beginning.