Cricket Ascend System

Chapter 24: Watched

first—

Sahil thought he was imagining it.

But Coach Verma was definitely there.

Standing beside the tea stall near Sharma Electronics.

Arms folded.

Watching quietly.

Not cheering.

Not reacting loudly.

Just observing.

Like he was studying something carefully.

The moment Sahil noticed him—

his excitement cooled slightly.

Because suddenly the innings felt different.

Earlier it was just another gully match.

Now?

It felt like an evaluation.

"Why’s sir here?" Ravi whispered quietly.

"No idea."

But honestly— freeweɓnovel.cѳm

both of them already knew why.

Sahil’s hitting had started attracting attention outside Riverside.

And attention changed things.

As players packed up after the match—

Coach Verma finally walked closer.

Everyone straightened immediately.

Even Sameer stopped joking around.

Because unlike local players—

Coach Verma represented real cricket.

School cricket.

District pathways.

Selection opportunities.

The coach looked directly at Sahil first.

"That six over square leg..."

He paused briefly.

"...you mistimed it."

Sahil blinked.

Most people only talked about the distance.

Coach Verma noticed the flaw immediately.

"You leaned too early," the coach continued calmly. "Your bottom hand took over after contact."

Then he added:

"But your bat speed is unusual."

The system appeared quietly.

EXTERNAL CRICKET OBSERVER ANALYSIS MATCHED

Coach evaluation aligns with system review.

Confidence in assessment: High

Sahil honestly didn’t know whether to feel happy or exposed.

Probably both.

Coach Verma then looked around the gully.

Broken walls.

Uneven concrete.

Scooters parked near boundaries.

Kids arguing over ball ownership.

Then he looked back at Sahil again.

"How long have you played here?"

"All my life," Sahil answered honestly.

"Hm."

The coach nodded slowly.

"That explains some things."

Some things.

Meaning the bad habits.

The wild swings.

The rough technique.

Everything built from surviving tennis-ball cricket.

Then Coach Verma said something unexpected.

"Come early tomorrow morning."

Sahil froze slightly.

"For what?"

"Nets."

Simple answer.

But Sahil’s heartbeat immediately sped up.

"Leather ball?" Ravi asked before Sahil could speak.

Coach Verma nodded.

Then looked directly at Sahil again.

"And bring running shoes."

The moment he left—

Riverside exploded.

"No way!"

"Private practice?!"

"Bro school selection pakka!"

Even Sameer looked genuinely surprised now.

But Sahil barely heard any of it.

Because inside his head—

the system had already appeared again.

SPECIAL TRAINING EVENT UNLOCKED

Coach-Supervised Practice Session

Potential Benefits: ✔ Technique correction ✔ Leather-ball adaptation ✔ Advanced batting evaluation

Warning: Host weaknesses may become fully exposed under structured training.

That warning alone killed half the excitement instantly.

Because Sahil knew it was true. freewebnovёl.ƈom

Gully cricket let him survive with instinct.

Proper cricket wouldn’t.

That night—

Sahil trained longer than usual.

Shadow swings.

Front-foot movement.

Balance drills.

Again.

Again.

Again.

MISSION 3 PROGRESS

Shadow Swings: 14,903 / 20,000

Valid Repetitions: 13,401

Rejected: 1,502

The rejection count annoyed him less now.

Because he finally understood something important:

The system wasn’t trying to make him stronger.

It was trying to make his batting repeatable.

Reliable.

Professional.

Near midnight—

Sahil stood alone outside his house practicing slow downswings under a streetlight.

Sweat covered his shirt completely.

Wrists aching badly.

But he kept going.

One swing.

Pause.

Reset stance.

Another swing.

Again.

Again.

Again.

And for the first time since reincarnation—

Sahil genuinely felt like a cricketer.

Not just a gully hitter.

Not just a six machine.

A real cricketer in progress.