Cricket Ascend System

Chapter 34: Timing

The school selection match was only three days away now.

And for the first time since getting the system—

Sahil felt genuinely limited.

Not weak.

Not untalented.

Limited.

Because no matter how many sixes he hit in Riverside—

school cricket exposed the truth immediately.

His raw power carried him constantly.

Too constantly.

Coach Verma noticed it during every serious net session.

"Stop trying to kill the ball."

Another side-arm feed came fast toward off stump.

Sahil swung hard instinctively.

THICK EDGE.

The ball flew awkwardly toward side netting.

Coach Verma sighed.

"You still force impact."

Then he pointed toward Kabir practicing in nearby nets.

"Watch carefully."

Kabir drove next delivery cleanly through covers.

No violent swing.

No excessive effort.

Yet the ball raced across turf beautifully.

"That," Coach Verma said calmly, "is timing."

The word stayed inside Sahil’s head all evening.

Timing.

Because deep down—

he already understood the problem.

His power had become so overwhelming that he relied on it too much.

Even mistakes survived because of strength.

Even mishits cleared boundaries.

And honestly?

That was dangerous for long-term growth.

Later that night—

Sahil trained alone behind Riverside again.

Streetlights flickered weakly above cracked cement.

Sweat soaked through his shirt already.

Bat in hand.

Practice balls scattered everywhere.

Straight drive.

Reset.

Straight drive.

Again.

Again.

Again.

No big swings.

No dramatic slogging.

Just middle contact practice.

Then suddenly—

the blue system screen appeared.

But this time—

larger than usual.

Brighter.

Different.

SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT MISSION UNLOCKED

PERFECT TIMING PATHWAY

Objective:

Achieve 1,000 perfectly-timed middle connections during leather-ball practice.

Validation Conditions

✔ Clean center contact

✔ Stable balance after shot

✔ Controlled downswing

✔ No excessive force usage

Reward

+20 TIMING

Sahil froze completely.

Twenty points.

Not three.

Not five.

Twenty.

That was massive now.

Then another line appeared underneath.

DIFFICULTY

EXTREME

Estimated Completion: Long-term advanced growth mission.

Warning: Host’s excessive power dependency may interfere with progress.

"...Of course it would," Sahil muttered tiredly.

Nothing easy existed anymore.

Still—

his heartbeat sped up slightly.

Because if he completed this mission—

his batting could evolve completely.

Then suddenly—

another screen expanded automatically.

HOST STATUS WINDOW

SAHIL CHOUDHARY

Age: 17

Current Role: Power Hitter / Emerging Finisher

BATTING STATS

Power: 70

Timing: 31

Control: 29

Defense: 16

Mental Toughness: 18

PHYSICAL STATS

Endurance: 27

Agility: 14

Recovery: 11

CORE TRAITS

✔ Explosive Bat Speed

✔ Elite Boundary Conversion

✔ Pressure Finishing

✔ Mishit Carry Power

MAIN WEAKNESSES

✘ Overhitting during pressure phases

✘ Weak defensive technique

✘ Hook shot mechanics unstable

✘ Off-side consistency incomplete

CURRENT REPUTATION

Riverside Gully: "Match Finisher"

School Cricket Camp: "Raw Power Talent"

Sahil stared silently at the numbers.

Power: 70.

That stat honestly looked absurd now.

Especially compared to Timing at only 31.

No wonder his mishits still traveled for sixes.

His raw strength was compensating for flaws constantly.

Then another notification appeared slowly.

GROWTH ANALYSIS

Current Build: POWER-DOMINANT BATTER

Risk: Technique growth slowing due to reliance on strength.

Suggested Evolution: CONTROLLED POWER STRIKER

Controlled power again.

The system kept pushing him toward that path repeatedly.

Because deep down—

even the system knew something terrifying. frёewebnoѵēl.com

If Sahil’s timing ever truly caught up to his power—

his batting could become monstrous.

The screen disappeared slowly afterward.

But Sahil remained standing alone under the streetlight.

Thinking quietly.

One thousand perfect middle connections.

Honestly insane.

Especially with leather ball.

But then he remembered something important.

Months ago—

even surviving school nets felt impossible.

Now?

Senior bowlers adjusted fields specifically for him.

Slowly—

Sahil took stance again.

Front foot balanced.

Grip relaxed.

Eyes steady.

Then he played another straight drive softly against the wall.

Not hard.

Not violent.

Just clean.

Pure.

Timed.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Because for the first time—

Sahil Choudhary wasn’t training to hit harder anymore.

He was training to hit better.