Free Web NovelChapter 71: District Squad Selection
The morning after the final trial match felt strangely empty.
For the first time in weeks, there were no fitness drills.
No conditioning circuits.
No coaches shouting instructions across the stadium.
No trial matches.
No pressure situations.
Just waiting.
And somehow...
waiting felt harder than training.
Sahil sat on the roof of his house while absentmindedly spinning a cricket ball between his fingers.
His bat rested beside him.
Usually, whenever he felt nervous, he practiced.
Batting.
Shadow drills.
Footwork.
Anything.
But today he couldn’t focus.
His thoughts kept returning to the same question.
Did I do enough?
The final trial match replayed repeatedly inside his mind.
52/5.
Pressure everywhere.
Selectors watching.
Then the chase.
41* off 19.
The six against outswing.
The pull shots.
The reactions.
The applause.
On paper, it looked impressive.
But district selection wasn’t based on one innings alone.
Selectors looked at everything.
Fitness.
Technique.
Consistency.
Temperament.
Potential.
And compared to academy players...
Sahil still felt inexperienced.
That uncertainty continued eating away at him.
The system had helped him improve rapidly.
But deep down, he knew the truth.
He still had weaknesses.
Lots of them.
The district selectors definitely noticed them too.
The question was—
did they think his strengths outweighed them?
His phone suddenly vibrated.
Kabir.
Sahil answered immediately.
"Any news?"
Kabir laughed.
"Not even a hello?"
"Tell me."
"The squad announcement is today."
Sahil immediately sat upright.
"When?"
"One hour."
"Where?"
"The stadium."
That instantly increased his heartbeat.
The squad wasn’t being announced online.
It wasn’t being sent through messages.
That meant every trial player would be present together.
Watching.
Waiting.
Celebrating.
Or getting rejected.
Honestly...
that sounded terrifying.
---
By afternoon, the district stadium had become crowded.
Almost every trial player had arrived.
Some stood in small groups discussing performances.
Others sat alone quietly.
Several academy players looked confident.
A few looked nervous.
Many simply remained silent.
The atmosphere felt completely different from match day.
Because today—
nobody could influence the result anymore.
Their cricket was finished.
The selectors had already made their decision.
Sahil entered through the main gate and immediately noticed familiar faces.
Kabir.
Aryan.
The fast bowlers.
The wicketkeepers.
The spinners.
Everyone was here.
Every player who had spent weeks fighting for a place.
Kabir walked over first.
"You look terrible."
Sahil rolled his eyes.
"Thanks."
"I’m serious."
Kabir laughed.
"You looked calmer chasing 177 than you do right now."
Honestly...
he wasn’t wrong.
During matches, Sahil always knew what to do.
Watch the ball.
Play the shot.
Handle pressure.
Simple.
But selection?
That was completely out of his control.
And that uncertainty felt awful.
Nearby, Aryan stood near the pavilion talking with a coach.
Unlike most players, he looked completely relaxed.
Then again...
Aryan had scored consistently throughout the trials.
His selection felt almost guaranteed.
Eventually Aryan noticed Sahil and walked over.
"You’ll make it."
Sahil blinked.
"That confident?"
Aryan shrugged.
"Forty-one off nineteen."
"Selectors aren’t blind."
Then he smirked slightly.
"But playing eleven?"
He left the sentence unfinished.
That instantly brought Sahil back to reality.
Making the squad and making the team were two completely different things.
Before Sahil could respond, movement near the pavilion immediately drew everyone’s attention.
The selectors had arrived.
Silence spread quickly.
Conversations stopped.
Players straightened instinctively.
Some clenched their fists nervously.
Others stared directly at the pavilion.
The head selector stepped forward carrying several sheets of paper.
For several moments—
nobody spoke.
Then he began.
"The district trials are officially complete."
His voice echoed clearly across the stadium.
"First, I would like to congratulate every player who participated."
Nobody reacted.
Everyone was waiting for the important part. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
The selector continued.
"This year was extremely competitive."
"We evaluated batting."
"Bowling."
"Fitness."
"Temperament."
"Match performance."
"Long-term development potential."
His eyes slowly moved across the crowd.
"Several difficult decisions were required."
That sentence alone increased everyone’s tension.
Because difficult decisions meant disappointment for someone.
The selector finally looked down at the papers.
"The District Under-19 Squad."
Every heartbeat seemed to stop.
Names began getting announced.
Opening batsmen.
Wicketkeepers.
Fast bowlers.
Spinners.
All-rounders.
One by one.
Each name brought a different reaction.
Some players smiled instantly.
Others visibly relaxed.
A few looked shocked.
And several trialists quietly lowered their heads after realizing they hadn’t been selected.
The reality of competition was harsh.
Every selection represented another player’s rejection.
Sahil continued waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting.
His name still hadn’t been announced.
The anxiety became unbearable.
Had he failed?
Were the selectors unconvinced?
Did they think he was too raw?
Too aggressive?
Too inconsistent?
Then—
"The following middle-order batsmen have been selected..."
The selector glanced at the sheet.
"Aryan Malhotra."
No surprise there.
Aryan simply nodded calmly.
Then another name followed.
"Sahil Choudhary."
For several seconds—
everything seemed distant.
Muted.
Unreal.
His brain almost refused to process it.
Then suddenly—
Kabir punched him directly on the shoulder.
"Idiot."
"You got selected."
Reality immediately crashed back.
Selected.
He made it.
He actually made it.
Weeks of training.
Fitness missions.
Outswing struggles.
Pressure matches.
Fatigue.
Everything.
All of it had paid off.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
Not excitement.
Not celebration.
Relief.
Pure relief.
The announcements continued afterward.
Eventually the full squad was finalized.
Fifteen players.
The official District Under-19 squad.
And Sahil was one of them.
The realization still felt unbelievable.
Just a few months ago, he had been dominating school cricket.
Now?
He officially represented the district.
When the selector finished reading the names, applause finally broke out.
Several players celebrated openly.
Some immediately called their families.
Others quietly sat down trying to process everything.
A few unsuccessful players silently walked away.
Cricket could be cruel sometimes.
Then the head selector raised his hand again.
The noise immediately disappeared.
"One more announcement."
Instantly, the atmosphere became tense again.
The selector’s expression turned serious.
"The district squad has been finalized."
A brief pause followed.
"However..."
Not everyone selected will be part of the starting eleven."
The mood shifted immediately.
Several selected players exchanged nervous glances.
Including Sahil.
The selector continued.
"For the opening district tournament fixture..."
"The provisional playing eleven has also been chosen."
Now everyone listened carefully.
Because this mattered almost as much as selection itself.
The playing eleven names started getting announced.
One by one.
Aryan Malhotra.
Kabir Rana.
The wicketkeeper.
Several academy players.
Two specialist fast bowlers.
A spinner.
An all-rounder.
More names followed.
Then—
the list ended.
Sahil’s name never appeared.
Silence.
A strange mixture of emotions filled him immediately.
Selected.
But not playing.
Success.
Yet not complete success.
Part of him felt disappointed.
Of course it did.
Every cricketer wanted to play.
Nobody dreamed of sitting on the bench.
For several moments, he simply stood there quietly.
Kabir immediately noticed.
"Disappointed?"
Sahil exhaled slowly.
"A little."
Kabir nodded.
"Fair."
Then he pointed toward the squad list.
"But you’re still in."
That statement carried weight.
Because it was true.
A month ago, Sahil wasn’t even district level.
Now?
He was officially part of the district squad.
The coach stepped forward afterward.
His eyes paused briefly on several reserve players.
Including Sahil.
"Listen carefully."
His voice carried authority.
"Being outside the playing eleven does not mean you failed."
Several players immediately looked up.
The coach continued.
"The squad wasn’t selected for one match."
"It was selected for an entire season."
Then his gaze settled directly on Sahil.
"Aggressive players especially must learn patience."
That statement felt aimed directly at him.
And honestly...
it wasn’t wrong.
The coach folded his arms.
"Opportunities come."
"The question is whether you’re ready when they arrive."
That sentence remained inside Sahil’s mind.
Because deep down—
he knew his opportunity would come eventually.
The real question was whether he could force his way into the team before that happened.
---
Players slowly started leaving afterward.
Kabir departed with several teammates.
The selectors entered the pavilion.
The stadium gradually emptied.
Before leaving, Aryan walked over one final time.
"Told you."
Sahil raised an eyebrow.
"Told me what?"
"You’d make the squad."
Aryan smirked.
Then added,
"Now comes the difficult part."
Sahil already knew.
"Earning a place in the eleven."
Aryan nodded.
"Exactly."
For the first time, their rivalry felt different.
Less hostile.
More competitive.
Then Aryan walked away.
Meanwhile Sahil remained near the boundary rope.
The stadium looked almost empty now.
The same stadium that had exposed every weakness he possessed.
The same stadium where he learned district cricket wasn’t school cricket.
The same stadium where he nearly collapsed during conditioning drills.
Where he trained outswing for days.
Where he hit his first major six against swing bowling.
Where he played 41* off 19 under pressure.
And now—
the same stadium had given him something important.
A place in the district squad.
Not the playing eleven.
Not yet.
But still—
a place.
The familiar blue system screen suddenly appeared before him.
---
MAIN QUEST COMPLETE
"REAL CRICKET BEGINS"
Objective:
Earn Selection Into District Under-19 Squad
Status:
COMPLETE
---
Reward Granted
Timing +5
Mental Toughness +5
---
UPDATED STATS
Power: 76
Timing: 65
Control: 42
Defense: 20
Mental Toughness: 36
---
NEW MAIN QUEST GENERATED
"EARN YOUR PLACE"
Objective:
Break Into District Playing XI
---
Conditions
✔ Continue district training
✔ Improve match readiness
✔ Outperform competitors
✔ Earn coach confidence
---
Reward
Power +5
---
For several seconds, Sahil quietly stared at the glowing screen.
Then his eyes slowly drifted toward the district pavilion.
A month ago...
he was just another aggressive school batsman.
Today...
he belonged to the district squad.
Not a starter.
Not a star.
But a district player.
And although he wasn’t part of the playing eleven yet—
for the first time—
the door to higher-level cricket had finally opened.
The next challenge was already waiting.
Not selection.
Not survival.
But earning a place in the team itself.
And Sahil knew one thing for certain.
He wasn’t planning to stay on the bench for long.
