Free Web NovelChapter 62: District Stadium
The morning air carried a sharp chill.
Sahil tightened the strap of his cricket kit bag as the old bus slowly approached the massive stadium gates. His heartbeat grew heavier with every passing second.
This was no longer school cricket.
No dusty grounds.
No weak bowling attacks.
No familiar faces cheering his name from behind the boundary ropes.
This...
was district cricket.
The bus stopped with a rough jerk.
"District Cricket Association Stadium!" the conductor shouted lazily.
Players immediately began stepping off with their kits.
Sahil followed quietly.
The moment his shoes touched the ground, his eyes widened slightly.
The stadium was enormous.
Towering floodlights rose high into the pale morning sky. The outfield looked perfectly green, almost unreal compared to the rough school grounds he was used to. Multiple practice nets stretched across the side area while bowlers thundered in at full speed.
The sharp sound of leather balls smashing into bats echoed continuously through the air.
Coaches carrying clipboards observed players carefully from every corner.
Everything looked professional.
Serious.
Dangerous.
For the first time in months...
Sahil felt pressure before even touching a bat.
Around him, players walked confidently in branded academy kits. Expensive bats rested casually on their shoulders while they discussed tournaments Sahil had only seen online.
"Coach said state trials might happen early this year."
"I faced Punjab U-19 bowlers last month."
"Our academy is touring Chandigarh next week."
Every sentence reminded Sahil of one thing.
These players were already living in a completely different cricket world.
Meanwhile, he had only played school tournaments and local matches.
The gap felt overwhelming.
---
Ding!
New Area Discovered:
District Cricket Stadium
Difficulty Level:
High
Hidden Opportunities Detected
---
The blue system screen disappeared quickly.
Sahil took a slow breath and walked toward the registration desk.
A man wearing sunglasses lazily flipped through papers.
"Name?"
"Sahil Choudhary."
"School recommendation?"
Sahil handed over the form.
The man stamped it without much interest.
"Net Group C. Fitness testing first."
"Okay."
Sahil moved away quietly.
Nearby, academy players stood together in groups, already familiar with one another. Some stretched confidently while others practiced elegant cover drives with polished footwork.
Sahil stood alone.
For the first time since restarting his cricket journey...
he felt like an outsider.
"Move faster unless you want to fail before trials even begin."
A sharp voice interrupted his thoughts.
Sahil turned.
A tall player walked past him wearing a premium academy jersey. Clean haircut. Expensive shoes. Professional gloves clipped to his bag.
ARYAN MALHOTRA was printed behind his shirt.
Several players immediately greeted him.
"Aryan!"
"Heard you smashed another hundred."
"You’re definitely making district XI."
Aryan smirked casually before glancing toward Sahil.
His eyes paused briefly on Sahil’s simple school jersey and worn-out kit bag.
"First district trial?" Aryan asked.
"...Yeah."
"School player?"
Sahil nodded.
Aryan gave a faint laugh.
"You’ll understand soon enough."
Without another word, he walked away with his academy teammates.
Sahil frowned slightly.
Understand what?
Before he could think further, a loud whistle echoed across the stadium.
"All trial players report to the fitness area immediately!"
The atmosphere instantly became serious.
Players hurried toward the fitness section near the boundary ropes.
Several coaches stood waiting with stopwatches and clipboards.
One of them stepped forward.
His expression was cold.
"Listen carefully."
The chatter stopped immediately.
"District cricket is not school cricket."
His voice echoed clearly across the ground.
"If your body cannot survive pressure, your talent means nothing here."
Some players straightened nervously.
The coach continued.
"First test. Yo-Yo endurance."
Sahil’s expression stiffened slightly.
Fitness...
His biggest weakness.
The beep test began.
At first, the pace felt manageable.
Run.
Turn.
Run again.
The beeps slowly increased.
Sahil controlled his breathing carefully while maintaining rhythm.
Several weaker players already dropped out.
Sweat rolled down his forehead.
The pace increased again.
Run.
Turn.
Run again.
His lungs started burning.
His legs became heavier after every sprint.
Still, Sahil forced himself forward.
He refused to stop early.
Finally—
"Enough."
The whistle blew sharply.
Sahil bent forward while breathing heavily.
His chest burned painfully.
One coach checked the results sheet.
"Average."
Not terrible.
But nowhere near impressive.
Nearby, academy players looked almost relaxed.
One fast bowler casually drank water while laughing.
"This was easy."
Sahil silently looked away.
For the first time since gaining the system...
he truly realized how far he still had to go.
---
System Notification
Weakness Detected:
Endurance
Side Mission Generated:
Run 5 km daily for 7 days
Reward: +5 Endurance
Penalty for failure: Reduced Recovery Efficiency
Accept?
---
Sahil selected YES immediately.
If endurance was his weakness...
then he would improve it.
Simple.
The next tests began quickly afterward.
Sprint drills.
Reaction movement.
Throwing accuracy.
Unlike endurance, Sahil performed much better here.
His explosive acceleration allowed him to finish among the better groups during short-distance sprints.
One coach finally looked mildly interested.
"Good acceleration."
Sahil heard it clearly.
A small amount of confidence returned.
After fielding drills came the real challenge.
Net sessions.
The sound of leather balls smashing into bats echoed continuously across the practice area. Bowlers charged in aggressively while wicketkeepers shouted behind the stumps.
The atmosphere felt intense.
Professional.
Sahil adjusted his pads quietly while waiting outside Net Lane 3.
Inside another lane, a batsman struggled badly against genuine pace bowling.
Then Sahil heard a name that immediately changed the mood around the nets.
"Kabir Rana bowling next."
Several nearby players turned toward the practice lane instantly.
A tall fast bowler walked toward his mark confidently.
Broad shoulders.
Sharp jawline.
Aggressive eyes.
Even his walk carried pressure.
One player nearby whispered quietly,
"He bowls close to 137."
Sahil’s eyes widened slightly.
137 km/h?
At district level?
Kabir grabbed the ball and started his run-up.
THUD!
The first delivery exploded off the pitch and slammed into the keeper’s gloves.
The batsman barely reacted.
Second ball.
Edge.
Third ball.
Completely beaten again.
Kabir smirked.
"Too slow."
The batsman walked out frustrated.
Then a coach pointed toward Sahil.
"You. Pad up."
For a brief second, Sahil’s heartbeat increased sharply.
He stepped inside the net slowly.
The noise outside suddenly faded.
Only the pitch in front of him remained.
Kabir looked at him curiously.
"New guy?"
Sahil stayed silent.
Kabir grinned slightly.
"Try not to get injured."
A few nearby players laughed.
Sahil tightened his grip around the bat handle.
Kabir began his run-up.
Fast.
Powerful.
The ball exploded from his hand like a bullet.
Short length.
Rising sharply.
Sahil reacted late.
WHOOSH!
The ball flew past his shoulder before crashing into the keeper’s gloves.
"Too fast?" Kabir asked mockingly.
Sahil ignored him.
But internally...
he was shocked.
The pace difference from school cricket felt insane.
Second ball.
Fuller delivery.
Sahil defended awkwardly.
The impact stung his palms instantly.
Third ball.
Bouncer.
Sahil barely ducked in time.
More laughter spread outside the net.
"School cricket hero."
"Can’t handle pace."
Sahil’s jaw tightened.
No.
He refused to panic.
He focused carefully on Kabir’s release point.
The next ball came quickly again.
Short ball.
This time Sahil reacted slightly earlier.
THACK!
The pull shot connected awkwardly but safely toward deep square leg.
The laughter stopped briefly.
Kabir narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Oh?"
Sahil adjusted his gloves slowly.
His confidence started returning little by little.
The battle continued.
Some balls beat him badly.
Some he defended.
One edge flew dangerously wide.
But gradually...
his eyes started adapting to the pace.
Then Kabir bowled another short delivery.
This time Sahil moved instinctively.
His body rotated smoothly.
BOOM!
The pull shot exploded cleanly into the side netting.
The sound echoed sharply across the practice lane.
Silence spread immediately.
Kabir stopped midway through his follow-through.
Several nearby players looked surprised.
Even one coach raised his eyebrows slightly.
Clean connection.
Perfect balance.
Real power.
Sahil himself looked stunned for half a second.
That shot had felt different.
Natural.
Smooth.
Dangerous.
---
Pull Shot Mastery EXP +7
---
Kabir stared at him silently for a moment before smirking faintly.
"Not bad."
For the first time since arriving at the stadium...
someone here acknowledged him.
The session continued for several more minutes.
By the end, Sahil was exhausted physically and mentally.
District cricket was much tougher than he imagined.
But one thing became clear.
He could survive here.
As evening sunlight slowly covered the stadium, players started leaving the ground one by one.
Some laughed confidently.
Some looked nervous.
Some already seemed defeated.
Sahil sat quietly near the boundary rope while drinking water.
His arms felt heavy.
His legs hurt.
But his eyes slowly drifted toward the massive stadium once again.
The green outfield.
The practice nets.
The floodlights.
Earlier that morning, the stadium had intimidated him.
Now...
it motivated him.
District cricket was not impossible.
He simply needed to become stronger.
Much stronger.
The blue system screen slowly appeared before him once again.
---
STATUS WINDOW
Name:
Sahil Choudhary
Role:
Aggressive Middle-Order Batsman
---
BATTING STATS
Power: 76
Timing: 60
Control: 38
Defense: 16
Mental Toughness: 27
---
PHYSICAL STATS
Endurance: 27
Agility: 15
Recovery: 11
---
PULL SHOT
Current Mastery:
BEGINNER MASTERY COMPLETE
Current EXP:
131 / 500
---
Pull Shot Passive Effects
✔ +5 Temporary Power during pull shots
✔ +5 Temporary Control during pull shots
✔ Improved short-ball stability
✔ Better balance against pace
---
EXP Sources
✔ Official Match Pull Boundaries
✔ Pull-shot Sixes
✔ Timed Pull Connections
✔ Pressure Match Execution
---
PERFECT TIMING PATHWAY
Objective:
1000 Perfect Connections
Progress:
318 / 1000
Completion:
31.8%
Reward:
+20 Timing
---
SIX-HITTER PATHWAY
Objective:
100 Official Tournament Sixes
Current Progress:
46 / 100
Reward:
UNKNOWN
---
MAIN QUEST
"REAL CRICKET BEGINS"
Objective:
Earn selection into District Under-19 Squad
---
Conditions
✔ Perform consistently in trials
✔ Impress district coaching staff
✔ Avoid technical collapse against advanced bowling
---
Reward
??? frёewebnoѵēl.com
---
Sahil quietly stared at the glowing blue screen.
Then his eyes slowly lifted toward the empty practice nets under the evening sky.
His district journey had finally begun.
