Cricket Ascend System

Chapter 23: Selection

Shortlisted for Final Selection Camp

The moment Sahil read those words—

the blue screen exploded into view instantly.

MAJOR MISSION PROGRESS

School Team Selection: Phase 1 Cleared

Reward Pending: Complete final selection process.

For the first time—

organized cricket had opened its door for Sahil Choudhary.

The walk back to Riverside felt strange.

Not exciting.

Not emotional.

Just... heavy.

Because for the first time—

Sahil had seen real cricket up close.

And the truth became painfully obvious.

He was behind.

Far behind.

Yes, his power shocked people.

Yes, the sixes looked impressive.

But outside of power?

His game still looked incomplete.

Messy footwork.

Weak defense.

Poor fielding basics.

Even stamina.

By the end of trials, his legs felt dead while academy boys still looked fresh.

The system appeared quietly while he walked home.

HOST EVALUATION UPDATED

Current Level: Street Cricket Dominant

School Cricket Readiness: Incomplete

Biggest Strength: ✔ Natural power generation

Biggest Weakness: ✘ Technical consistency

Critical Future Requirement: Develop repeatable batting mechanics.

Repeatable mechanics.

That phrase stayed in Sahil’s mind all evening.

Because that was the difference.

In gully cricket—

talent could survive.

In organized cricket—

consistency mattered more.

The next morning—

Mission 2 almost failed.

Sahil woke up with sore legs.

Pain near ankles.

Heavy shoulders.

And for a moment—

he genuinely considered skipping the 10 km run.

MISSION FAILURE WARNING

Current Endurance Mission: Day 4/7

Skipping today resets entire progress.

"...Cheap system," Sahil muttered tiredly.

Still—

he wore his shoes and went running anyway.

At first, his body felt terrible.

But around the fifth kilometer—

something changed.

His breathing rhythm improved slightly.

Footsteps stabilized.

Pace became smoother.

For the first time—

running didn’t feel impossible.

It just felt hard.

When he completed the 10 km—

the system responded immediately.

MISSION 2 PROGRESS

Day 4/7 Complete

Endurance Adaptation Detected: Minor cardiovascular improvement achieved.

Sahil smiled slightly.

Tiny progress.

But real.

Meanwhile Mission 3 continued destroying his shoulders daily.

MISSION 3 PROGRESS

Shadow Swings: 11,482 / 20,000

Valid Repetitions: 10,221

Rejected Swings: 1,261

Every rejected swing annoyed him deeply now.

Because he understood why they failed.

The system wasn’t random.

Bad balance.

Overhitting.

Head falling away.

All the same old habits.

That evening—

Riverside Gully organized another Sunday match.

But this time—

something had changed.

People watched Sahil differently now.

"That’s the school trial guy."

"He hit sixes with leather ball also."

"Coach selected him?"

"Not fully yet."

Still—

respect had started appearing slowly.

And honestly?

Sahil liked it.

A lot.

Match: Riverside Royals vs Market Road Lions

Target: 163 in 15 overs

The chase started badly again.

By the seventh over:

Riverside Royals — 52/4

Required: 111 runs from 48 balls

Normally panic would’ve spread immediately.

Instead Ravi looked toward Sahil calmly.

"Your turn."

As Sahil walked in—

fielders immediately moved deeper.

That alone felt satisfying.

Earlier nobody respected his hitting enough to spread fielders.

Now they did.

First few balls—

Sahil stayed patient.

Singles.

Twos.

One controlled boundary.

The crowd complained immediately.

"Maar na!"

"Six kidhar hai?"

But Sahil ignored them now.

Because he understood something important:

Big innings needed setup first.

Then the acceleration came naturally.

One pull shot for six.

One straight hit over the bowler.

A mistimed lofted shot—

that STILL carried over long-off somehow because of raw power.

The crowd exploded instantly.

Even Sahil looked surprised.

"That didn’t feel middle."

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 61%

Timing: 54%

Reason Boundary Cleared: Exceptional power compensation.

Observation: Host capable of six-hitting despite imperfect contact.

That message honestly felt terrifying.

Because if even bad connections were flying this far—

what would happen once his timing actually improved properly?

By the 13th over:

Riverside Royals — 141/5

Needed: 22 runs from 12 balls

Sahil: 48* off 24 balls

Strike Rate: 200

The crowd buzzed loudly now.

Everyone wanted the fifty.

But more importantly—

everyone believed Riverside could actually win now.

And that belief existed because of Sahil.

The atmosphere inside Riverside Gully had completely changed.

Two overs earlier—

people were discussing how badly the Royals would lose.

Now?

Everyone stood near the boundary lines.

Shopkeepers stopped pretending to work.

Kids climbed scooters for better views.

Even balcony aunties leaned forward openly now.

Because Sahil Choudhary was batting.

And whenever Sahil started connecting—

matches became chaos.

Score: Riverside Royals — 141/5

Target: 163

Needed: 22 runs from 12 balls

Sahil: 48* (24)

Ravi: 19* (17)

Bowler: Sameer Malik

Sameer adjusted the field carefully.

Long-on back.

Deep midwicket back.

Extra cover wider.

Three boundary riders directly targeting Sahil.

"Don’t feed his arc," Sameer warned his teammates.

But internally—

even he looked irritated now.

Because this was becoming a pattern.

Every time Sahil survived early—

his hitting changed matches completely.

First ball of the over.

Full outside off.

Sahil drove hard toward deep cover.

Single.

Off 25 balls.

The gully erupted instantly.

"SAHILLLLL!"

"Fifty!"

"Beast!"

Ravi walked down the pitch grinning.

"School player now, huh?"

Sahil tried acting calm.

But internally—

his chest felt unbelievably light.

This was his first proper match-winning innings in Riverside.

Not random sixes.

Not lucky shots.

A real innings.

Built properly.

The system appeared immediately.

PERFORMANCE MILESTONE ACHIEVED

First Organized Match-Impact Fifty

Reward: +2 Free Stat Points

Bonus Recognition: Crowd Pressure Handling Improved

Only two points now.

Earlier beginner tasks gave much more.

The reward reduction had started clearly.

Sahil allocated carefully.

+1 Timing

+1 Control

Because now he understood something important:

Power alone already existed.

Control and timing were becoming more valuable.

Meanwhile the match still wasn’t over.

Needed: 21 from 11 balls.

Second ball.

Sameer bowled slower.

Sahil waited longer this time—

then launched it straight back over the bowler’s head.

SIX.

The crowd exploded again.

But the scary part?

That shot looked effortless.

No wild swing.

No imbalance.

Just clean timing.

Sameer stared silently as the ball disappeared beyond parked scooters.

Even he noticed the difference now.

Sahil wasn’t just slogging anymore.

His hitting was becoming smarter.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 84%

Timing: 81%

Positive Development: ✔ Improved patience before downswing ✔ Better head stability ✔ Reduced unnecessary force usage

Observation: Host beginning to convert raw power into controlled power.

Controlled power. freewebnoveℓ.com

That phrase felt dangerous.

Needed: 15 from 10 balls.

Third ball.

Yorker attempt.

Inside edge.

FOUR.

The ball raced toward the drain-side wall.

Groans from Azad Nagar fielders immediately.

Cheers from everyone else.

Even Ravi laughed.

"Bro your luck stat also upgraded?"

Sahil smirked slightly.

Maybe it had.

Needed: 11 from 9 balls.

Sameer finally overstepped slightly.

NO BALL.

The lane erupted immediately.

"Free hit!"

"Maar de!"

Now:

10 needed from 9 balls + free hit.

Sameer cursed under his breath.

Because everyone knew what Sahil wanted now.

A six.

Always a six.

Free hit ball.

Short.

Sahil pulled aggressively.

The connection wasn’t perfect.

High.

Very high.

Deep square leg ran backward desperately—

then stopped.

The ball kept carrying.

SIX.

Absolute madness erupted in Riverside.

Kids screaming.

Players shouting.

Someone kicked a plastic chair accidentally.

Even Ravi looked stunned.

"That wasn’t even middle!"

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 58%

Timing: 63%

Boundary Result Reason: Exceptional bat speed + elite raw power combination.

Future Projection: Once timing crosses 70+, host six-hitting ability may become dominant weapon.

Needed: 4 runs from 8 balls.

The match was basically over now.

And everyone knew it.

Sameer removed his cap slowly.

Then looked directly at Sahil.

For the first time—

there was no mocking expression left.

Only seriousness.

"You’ve changed," he admitted quietly.

Sahil looked back calmly.

"Still changing."

Two balls later—

Ravi finished the chase with a boundary.

FINAL SCORE

Riverside Royals — 165/5 (14 Overs)

Won by 5 Wickets

SAHIL CHOUDHARY

61* (29 Balls)

5 Sixes

4 Fours

Strike Rate: 210.34

People surrounded Sahil immediately afterward.

Kids asking about his bat.

Teammates shouting excitedly.

Even local uncles discussing his hitting.

And standing near the back—

Coach Verma watched silently from beside the tea stall.

He hadn’t come accidentally.

And the fact that Sahil noticed him—

meant the next stage of his journey was already getting closer.