Free Web NovelChapter 67: Practice Match
The district stadium looked different in the early morning sunlight.
The practice nets were empty.
Boundary ropes had been properly placed.
Scoreboards were active.
Even the atmosphere carried more pressure than usual.
Because today...
was match day.
Not an official tournament match.
Not district selection yet.
But close enough.
A district practice match.
Two trial squads.
One full limited-overs game.
And according to rumors—
the selectors would closely observe performances today.
That alone was enough to make players nervous.
Sahil stepped into the stadium quietly while carrying his kit bag over one shoulder.
Around him, players stretched seriously near the boundary ropes. Some shadow-practiced batting shots while others warmed up with catching drills.
Nobody looked relaxed anymore.
Net sessions allowed mistakes.
Practice matches exposed players publicly.
And in real matches...
pressure changed everything.
Sahil slowly glanced toward the pitch.
Fresh surface.
Light grass covering.
Good bounce.
Probably decent pace movement early.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Swing bowling again.
Before he could think further, a loud voice echoed nearby.
"All trial players gather!"
The squads quickly assembled near the pavilion.
A senior district coach stood holding two sheets of paper.
"This is a practice match," he said coldly.
"But don’t misunderstand."
His sharp eyes moved across the players.
"We are observing everything."
"Technique."
"Temperament."
"Decision-making."
"How you react under pressure."
Several players immediately straightened.
The coach continued,
"Some of you look excellent in nets."
Then his expression hardened slightly.
"But freeze during matches."
Silence spread instantly.
Because everyone understood the meaning behind those words.
Talent alone meant nothing if pressure destroyed performance.
The coach finally started announcing squads.
"SQUAD A..."
Players listened carefully.
Then—
"Sahil Choudhary."
Sahil looked up immediately.
"SQUAD B."
He quietly nodded.
A few names later—
"Kabir Rana."
Same squad.
Interesting.
Then—
"Aryan Malhotra."
Opposite team.
The atmosphere immediately became more competitive.
Aryan noticed it too and smirked faintly toward Kabir.
"Looks like your batting lineup needs saving."
Kabir rolled his shoulders casually.
"At least we have hitters."
Several players laughed lightly.
Sahil stayed silent while adjusting his gloves.
Honestly...
his own nerves already felt heavy enough.
Soon both teams started warming up separately.
Kabir walked toward Sahil while carrying a ball.
"You batting middle order today," he said casually.
Sahil blinked.
"You know already?"
Kabir smirked.
"Heard coaches talking."
Then his expression became slightly more serious.
"Middle-order pressure is different."
"How?"
Kabir bounced the ball once against the grass.
"Sometimes you finish innings."
"Sometimes you survive collapse."
"Sometimes both."
That answer quietly settled inside Sahil’s mind.
At school level, he mostly dominated weaker bowlers freely.
District cricket looked different.
Roles mattered here.
Situations mattered.
Soon the toss happened.
Squad B lost.
They would field first.
Kabir immediately grabbed the new ball alongside another fast bowler.
The match began.
The first few overs instantly revealed the difference between practice nets and real matches.
Everything felt sharper.
Fielders shouted louder.
Bowlers attacked harder.
Batters looked more cautious.
Even the crowd pressure existed slightly now, with academy coaches and local spectators watching from the stands.
Kabir charged in aggressively from the pavilion end.
THUD!
The first delivery exploded into the keeper’s gloves at high pace.
The batsman barely reacted.
Second ball.
Sharp outswing.
EDGE!
Dropped at slips.
Several players groaned loudly.
Kabir clicked his tongue irritably.
"Catch that!"
Sahil watched quietly from point region.
Even from distance, Kabir’s pace looked dangerous.
The next over became worse for the batting side.
Another fast bowler generated heavy movement.
One opener got trapped LBW.
Soon after—
another edge flew toward gully.
OUT.
Score: 18/2.
Pressure instantly built.
Aryan Malhotra walked in calmly at number four.
The atmosphere subtly changed.
Even fielders became more alert.
Clearly, everyone respected his batting.
Kabir smirked immediately.
"Finally."
Aryan adjusted his gloves slowly.
"Try bowling good length first."
The sledging began instantly.
Sahil silently watched from cover.
Kabir sprinted in aggressively.
First ball—
WHOOSH!
Sharp bouncer.
Aryan ducked smoothly.
Second ball.
Full outswinger.
THACK!
Elegant cover drive.
Perfect timing.
The ball raced toward boundary effortlessly.
Several spectators clapped immediately.
Sahil’s eyes narrowed slightly.
That shot looked completely different from school-level batting.
No unnecessary power.
Pure balance and timing.
Kabir grinned slightly instead of getting angry.
"Good shot."
Then he charged in again harder.
The battle became intense quickly.
Aryan handled pace confidently.
Kabir attacked aggressively.
Edges flew.
Close calls happened repeatedly.
The quality felt far above anything Sahil experienced before.
And quietly...
that pressure started building inside him too.
Because eventually—
he would have to bat on this same pitch.
Against bowlers like these.
The innings continued steadily afterward.
Aryan anchored the batting lineup brilliantly while others struggled around him.
By the 20th over:
Aryan: 47*
Team Score: 118/5
Sahil fielded well throughout.
Good stops.
Sharp throws.
Clean movement.
But mentally...
his focus remained on batting.
Especially after noticing how much swing still existed.
Finally, Aryan reached his fifty with another elegant boundary through covers.
Several players applauded lightly.
Even Kabir nodded once in acknowledgement.
That annoyed Sahil slightly.
Not because Aryan played well.
But because Sahil understood something painful now.
This was the level required for district cricket.
Not raw aggression.
Real technique under pressure.
The innings eventually ended at 184 runs.
Competitive total.
Especially on a pitch offering movement.
During innings break, Squad B players gathered near the dugout.
Some discussed bowling plans.
Others drank electrolyte water silently.
Kabir sat beside Sahil while removing sweatbands.
"Target’s tricky."
Sahil nodded slightly.
"Pitch slowing too."
Kabir looked directly at him.
"You’ll probably bat around number five."
Sahil’s heartbeat quietly increased.
Middle-order pressure.
Exactly what Kabir mentioned earlier.
Then the senior coach walked near them.
"Bat smart."
His eyes paused briefly on Sahil.
"Don’t play school cricket shots here."
The words weren’t insulting.
But they still hit hard.
Soon the chase began.
The opening overs went badly.
Very badly.
Both openers struggled badly against swing.
One edged behind.
Another got trapped LBW.
Score: 22/2.
Pressure immediately exploded inside the dressing area.
The next batsman attacked recklessly trying to recover momentum.
OUT.
Caught at mid-off.
38/3.
Sahil tightened his gloves quietly.
His turn was getting closer.
Then Kabir walked in ahead of him as a pinch-hitter.
First ball—
BOOM!
Massive pull shot for six.
The entire stadium reacted instantly.
Second boundary came two balls later.
Kabir attacked fearlessly.
For a few overs, momentum completely shifted.
But then—
EDGE.
Caught behind.
Kabir walked back frustrated after scoring quick 29 runs.
Score: 67/4.
The dressing room became quieter now.
Then the coach pointed directly toward Sahil.
"Pads on."
His heartbeat immediately increased.
This was it.
Real match pressure.
Not practice nets.
Not local training.
Actual performance.
Sahil grabbed his helmet slowly.
As he walked toward the field, noise from the stadium suddenly felt distant.
Only the pitch remained in focus.
Aryan stood at slip while smirking faintly.
"Let’s see if district cricket still looks easy."
Sahil ignored him completely.
The bowler began his run-up.
Medium-fast.
Swing bowler.
Perfect.
Exactly what troubled him most recently.
The first delivery came quickly.
WHOOSH!
Late outswing.
One week ago, Sahil would have chased it automatically.
Now—
Leave.
Clean judgement.
Several nearby fielders noticed immediately.
Second ball.
Fuller line.
THACK!
Compact defense.
Solid contact.
The bowler narrowed his eyes slightly.
Third delivery.
Wider outswinger tempting outside off stump.
Sahil stayed patient.
Leave again.
A small smile appeared on Kabir’s face from the dugout.
The grinding sessions with Ravi were already showing results.
The next over brought another challenge.
Short ball.
Sahil reacted instinctively.
THACK! freewebnσvel.cѳm
Controlled pull shot toward deep square leg.
Single.
Clean connection.
Confidence slowly started building.
Not explosive.
Not dominating.
But stable.
That alone felt important.
The innings progressed carefully afterward.
Sahil rotated strike well.
Defended patiently.
Left dangerous deliveries outside off stump calmly.
Several coaches watching from outside quietly exchanged glances.
Clearly...
they noticed the improvement too.
Then came the moment that changed the atmosphere completely.
The swing bowler tried tempting Sahil again with a fuller outswing delivery outside off stump.
Most batters earlier had defended cautiously against that line.
But this time—
Sahil moved decisively.
THACK!
The bat flowed through beautifully.
The ball soared high over extra cover.
SIX.
For a brief second, silence spread across the stadium.
Then loud reactions erupted everywhere.
Even Sahil himself looked slightly stunned.
That was his first clean attacking shot against an outswing delivery at district level.
And it looked incredible.
Pure extension.
Perfect timing.
Controlled aggression.
Not reckless hitting.
Several selectors sitting near the pavilion immediately looked up from their notes.
One of them even spoke quietly to another while still watching Sahil.
Kabir burst out laughing from the dugout.
"NOW that’s fearless batting!"
Even Aryan’s expression changed slightly.
Not impressed exactly.
But surprised.
Because attacking swinging deliveries cleanly required serious confidence.
The blue system screen flickered briefly.
---
Skill Trigger Successful
OUTSWING MASTERY PASSIVE ACTIVATED
✔ +5 Temporary Control
✔ +5 Temporary Timing
---
Sahil ignored the screen quickly and refocused.
The match was still alive.
Required Runs: 61 off 52 balls.
Pressure increasing again.
The batting partner got dismissed soon afterward.
Score: 124/5.
Now responsibility shifted heavily onto Sahil.
Earlier school-level Sahil would have attacked wildly here.
Current Sahil stayed calmer.
Rotate strike.
Punish loose balls.
Survive pressure.
That mindset alone showed growth.
The chase slowly tightened.
40 needed from 30.
Then 27 from 18.
Fielders became aggressive.
Bowlers attacked harder.
Pressure rose heavily.
Then came another short ball.
Sahil moved instinctively.
BOOM!
Massive pull shot over deep square leg.
SIX.
The crowd erupted immediately.
Kabir jumped up from the dugout laughing loudly.
"There’s the hitter!"
Even the coaches looked impressed now.
That shot completely shifted momentum.
Sahil attacked smartly afterward.
A lofted extra-cover boundary.
A flick through midwicket.
Sharp running between wickets.
By the time he got out trying to finish the match quickly—
he had already changed the chase completely.
Caught at long-off.
39 runs off 19 balls.
As he walked back, several players clapped lightly.
Not because it was a huge innings.
But because it came under real pressure.
And more importantly—
his batting looked fearless.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
The remaining batters finished the chase comfortably afterward.
Squad B won by four wickets.
As players slowly walked off the field beneath the evening sunlight, the blue system screen appeared beside Sahil once more.
---
MATCH PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
Practice Match Performance:
39 (19)
---
Performance Rating:
A-
---
Match Achievements
✔ First District-Level Pressure Chase
✔ Successful outswing adaptation under match pressure
✔ First clean attacking six against outswing bowling
✔ Selectors noticed fearless batting approach
✔ First impactful middle-order innings
---
Skill Growth
Pull Shot Mastery EXP +9
Outswing Mastery EXP +21
---
STATUS WINDOW
Name:
Sahil Choudhary
Role:
Aggressive Middle-Order Batsman
---
BATTING STATS
Power: 76
Timing: 60
Control: 42
Defense: 20
Mental Toughness: 31
---
PHYSICAL STATS
Endurance: 33
Agility: 15
Recovery: 11
---
PULL SHOT
Current Mastery:
BEGINNER MASTERY COMPLETE
Current EXP:
140 / 500
---
OUTSWING MASTERY
Current Rank:
BEGINNER MASTERY COMPLETE
Current EXP:
22 / 500
---
PERFECT TIMING PATHWAY
Objective:
1000 Perfect Connections
Progress:
369 / 1000
Completion:
36.9%
Reward:
+20 Timing
---
For several seconds, Sahil quietly stared at the glowing blue screen beneath the fading evening sky.
Then his eyes slowly drifted toward the district stadium once again.
A week ago...
outswing bowling nearly destroyed his confidence.
Today...
he had attacked it fearlessly under real match pressure.
And for the first time since entering district cricket—
the selectors had finally started noticing him too.
