Cricket Ascend System

Chapter 30: Countered

Chapter 26 — Countered

For the first time since getting the system—

Sahil felt genuinely frustrated while batting.

Not nervous.

Not panicked.

Frustrated.

Because the Patel Street Panthers refused to bowl into his strength.

No short balls.

No slot deliveries.

No predictable pace.

Everything stayed wide.

Low.

Slow.

Annoying.

Match Situation

Riverside Royals — 71/4 after 8 overs

Target: 184

Required: 113 from 42 balls

Sahil: 11* (13)

Ravi: 22* (17)

The crowd had become unusually quiet now.

Not silent.

Just confused.

Because Riverside was used to explosive Sahil innings.

Not careful batting.

Patel captain Harsh Vardhan smirked while adjusting field.

"Don’t fight his power. Remove it."

Smart strategy.

Very smart.

The next delivery came wide outside off again.

Sahil reached hard—

missed completely.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Mistake: ✘ Forced expansion outside hitting arc ✘ Balance collapse during reach attempt

Bowler Strategy Identified: Limiting host power zone access.

Sahil clicked his tongue quietly.

The system wasn’t wrong.

They were starving him intentionally.

Earlier—

he would’ve become impatient already.

Tried forcing sixes.

Thrown wicket away.

But now?

He stayed calmer.

Next ball.

Single.

Nothing flashy.

Ravi walked toward him mid-pitch.

"They’re scared of your leg-side hitting."

Sahil nodded slightly.

"I know."

"Then use that."

That sentence stayed in Sahil’s head afterward.

Use that.

Next over—

Harsh tried spin again.

But this time with field spread heavily on leg side.

Long-on.

Deep midwicket.

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Everything protected.

Meaning one thing remained open.

Off side.

The spinner floated fuller outside off.

Normally Sahil would’ve dragged across line aggressively.

Instead—

he stayed still longer.

Then drove through extra cover.

FOUR.

The crowd reacted instantly.

Because that shot looked different.

Cleaner.

Technical.

Even Harsh looked surprised.

Because Sahil wasn’t supposed to play that shot consistently yet.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 83%

Timing: 80%

Positive: ✔ Late contact control improved ✔ Better off-side balance ✔ Reduced bottom-hand dominance

Observation: Host adapting under tactical pressure.

That observation mattered more than the boundary itself.

Because this was new.

Sahil wasn’t just overpowering bowlers anymore.

He was learning.

Adjusting.

Next ball—

same area.

This time inside-out over cover.

SIX.

Absolute chaos again.

But different chaos.

Earlier crowds reacted to power.

This time even older players nodded with respect.

Because that shot required skill too.

Harsh’s smile disappeared completely now.

"Since when can he hit through off side?"

Honestly—

Sahil himself didn’t fully know.

Maybe the shadow swings.

Maybe school practice.

Maybe repetition finally changing his instincts.

Probably all of it together.

By the 11th over:

Riverside Royals — 118/4

Needed: 66 from 24 balls

Sahil: 39* (24)

The pressure remained huge.

But momentum had shifted again.

Then Harsh made mistake.

Tiny mistake.

One slightly shorter slower ball.

Middle-leg line.

Sahil reacted instantly.

PULL.

SIX.

Deep square leg.

That familiar explosive sound returned immediately.

And suddenly Riverside believed again.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 78%

Timing: 74%

Positive: ✔ Improved trigger movement ✔ Cleaner hip rotation ✔ Better transfer from timing into power

The scary part?

That shot looked easy now.

Not desperate.

Not wild.

Natural.

And slowly—

even Sahil started realizing something dangerous.

His power wasn’t reducing as technique improved.

It was becoming stronger because of technique.

The match had changed completely now.

Ten minutes earlier—

Patel Street Panthers controlled everything.

Now?

Fielders looked nervous every time Sahil took strike.

Match Situation

Riverside Royals — 124/4 after 11 overs

Target: 184

Needed: 60 from 24 balls

Sahil: 45* (26)

Ravi: 31* (24)

The crowd volume kept increasing again.

Because everyone in Riverside knew this feeling now.

The moment Sahil crossed 40—

things became dangerous.

Very dangerous.

Harsh gathered his players again.

"No pace."

"No short balls."

"Wide yorkers only."

But even while giving instructions—

his eyes kept drifting toward Sahil.

Watching carefully.

Calculating.

Because the problem had become obvious now.

Earlier Sahil only destroyed bad bowling.

Now he was adapting against good plans too.

First ball of the new over.

Wide yorker.

Excellent execution.

Sahil squeezed single somehow.

Second ball.

Ravi mistimed toward point.

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Pressure again.

Third ball.

Slower delivery.

Ravi rotated strike quickly.

Now Sahil back.

Needed: 58 from 21.

Field spread instantly again.

Deep cover.

Long-off.

Third man wider.

Everyone expecting off-side attack now.

The bowler adjusted accordingly.

Slower ball into pitch.

But slightly too straight.

Tiny mistake.

That was enough.

Sahil planted front foot.

Short arm swing.

CRACK.

The ball disappeared over midwicket.

Not massive height.

Just terrifying speed.

Even the bowler turned immediately without watching full flight.

Because he already knew.

Gone.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 86%

Timing: 82%

Positive: ✔ Compact swing efficiency improved ✔ Excellent base stability ✔ Power transfer now mechanically cleaner

Observation: Host power output increasing THROUGH technical improvement.

That line stayed in Sahil’s head afterward.

Increasing through technical improvement.

Not despite technique.

Because of technique.

That realization honestly felt exciting.

Because earlier—

his strength depended on brute force.

Now?

Even controlled swings carried huge distance.

The next few balls stayed smart.

Singles.

Strike rotation.

One double.

No unnecessary risk.

And suddenly—

Sahil noticed something shocking.

He was controlling chase tempo naturally now.

Not forcing momentum.

Managing it.

By the end of 12 overs:

Riverside Royals — 138/4

Needed: 46 from 18 balls

Sahil: 53* (30)

Another fifty.

And honestly?

Nobody reacted wildly anymore.

That was the scary part.

Big innings from Sahil were becoming normal.

Expected.

The system appeared briefly.

PERFORMANCE REVIEW

Current Batting Pattern: More stable under tactical pressure.

Major Improvement: ✔ Shot selection discipline ✔ Boundary setup awareness ✔ Strike rotation understanding

Weakness Still Active: ✘ Over-aggression against chest-high pace under pressure

Sahil smirked slightly.

The system always found something lacking.

Always.

Next over—

Harsh finally tried aggression himself.

Fast bowling.

Hard length.

Body line.

First ball.

Sharp rising delivery.

Sahil instinctively hooked.

Top edge.

HIGH.

Very high.

The entire ground froze.

Fine leg moved underneath carefully.

Simple catch.

Then the ball kept drifting backward.

Further.

Further.

Over boundary.

SIX.

Absolute madness erupted again.

Even Sahil burst out laughing this time.

"That was terrible!"

Ravi stared blankly.

"How are your mistakes going for sixes?!"

Honestly—

nobody understood anymore.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 31%

Timing: 42%

Boundary Cause: Rare combination of: ✔ Exceptional bat speed ✔ Strong wrists ✔ High natural power baseline

WARNING: Poor hook mechanics remain dangerous long-term.

Harsh looked emotionally damaged now.

And honestly?

That was understandable.

Imagine bowling correctly—

and still watching mishits disappear for six.

Needed: 40 from 17.

Then: 34 from 15.

Then: 28 from 12.

Pressure slowly shifted entirely onto Patel Street.

Because once Sahil survived till final overs—

his finishing ability became terrifying.

And everyone in Riverside could feel it already.