The best part of our meeting was, according to Neeti, that she had got Shubman to promise that he would take us into the field after Friday's KKR vs RCB match.

"Like, right into the players' dugout!" Neeti had said. "So I can meet Kohli and Yuzi and Kuldeep and DK and..."

"I get the point," Shubman had said, grinning. "I promise."

Neeti couldn't wait for the 19th. I found her excitement childish. But all cricket fans are like that...childish and crazy.

---------------------

On our way to the stadium, Neeti was talking non stop. I felt annoyed, but decided to make allowances for her. After all, she's going to meet her God Virat Kohli in an hour.

She opened her phone to see the score. At first, she smiled, but then her brows creased. She searched for something else in Google.

I guessed she's looking for some stats or something, so I turned away. When I turn back, I saw that her fists were clenched, and then to my horror I realised that she was blinking back tears.

"Neeti? Is RCB losing badly?" I asked, concerned, because normally she doesn't cry over IPL.

"No. RCB is not losing. They'll win," she said.

"Then what is it?"

Neeti didn't answer. I grabbed her phone from her hand and saw an article headed 'Kuldeep Yadav breaks down after going for 59 in his 4.'

I was stunned. I mean, yeah, she loves Kuldeep, but she can't cry over something like this.

But clearly she was. I wisely chose not to comment.

------------------

Shubman met us outside Eden and took us inside.

"You guys won," he told Neeti regretfully.

Neeti only nodded. Shubman raised an eyebrow at me, silently asking about her unusual quietness. I shook my head.

The moment we came out on the field, Shubman noticed Neeti's red eyes.

"Have you been crying? Neeti--what happened?"

Shubman and Neeti are both the same--they seriously lack tact.

Neeti looked mortified.

"Kuldeep," I told him, rolling my eyes. "She's crying because apparently he cried. I dunno what's wrong with her..."

Shubman nudged me and jerked his head towards a KKR player standing quite near us.

Kuldeep! Damn!

I clapped a hand over my mouth, feeling a little guilty, but I caught Shubman's eyes and we couldn't help grinning.

Neeti looked furious at the way I put it.

She stalked up to Kuldeep.

"Kuldeep?" she said in a loud voice. "Who do you think cares about IPL?"

Kuldeep turned quickly. No one could blame him for looking dumbfounded as a young girl in an overgrown RCB shirt and wild hair faced him with a fierce kind of look.

"What--what d'you mean?" he stammered.

"Look, when I look at you, I think of your hattrick at Eden in 2017! I think of the 2nd ODI in South Africa where you and Chahal bundled them under 200!"

Neeti didn't seem to have noticed that she was speaking loud enough for all the players around, from KKR or RCB, to hear, and that everyone had gone silent and was listening to her.

"I think of your 6-25 in England! I think of all those times you played for India and made us win, because you're Indian above KKR's and who the hell cares about IPL when you're one half of India's best spin twins??"

She paused for breath.

Kuldeep stared at her, clearly not knowing what to say.

The first one to react was a tall handsome RCB player. The captain, as Shubman whispered to me.

Virat Kohli.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you for the past hour, Kuldeep," he said exasperatedly. "Look how nicely a young fan put it!"

Neeti looked up and choked and nearly died on the spot. Her idol, her Kohli looking at her with admiration and liking... speaking about her in such high terms.

"We need people like you to travel with us," he went on, smiling down at Neeti. "So they can motivate idiots like Kuldeep who think they're worthless just after a bad IPL match!"

Another RCB player came up--a very thin one.

"Yuzvendra Chahal," Shubman whispered.

Oh, so this is Neeti's Yuzi.

He clapped Neeti on her shoulder. "That's right, you tell him!"

Kuldeep and Neeti both smiled at last.

Neeti had no trouble in taking autographs from every single person she wanted to. Every Indian from both teams seemed to like her enormously, and as she was shaking their hands and taking autographs and wishing them luck for the World Cup in a fervent tone, I dragged Shubman away.

"Let's leave her to it."

Shubman was still looking back, grinning. "Neeti is a great person, isn't she?"

"Yes," I said, wishing for the hundredth time that I was more like her. "Yes, she is."

------------------

On the taxi going back to hotel, Neeti was in a happy daze.

I, on the other hand, was feeling decidedly unhappy. Shubman hadn't been in a very good mood after KKR's close defeat, and he (and everyone else) seemed to speak too highly of Neeti for me to be happy.

"I wish I was like you," I said suddenly.

Neeti looked at me. "Why would you ever wish something like that?"

"You're smart and brave and kind..."

"I'm not kind. You know I'm not."

"Even Shubman said you're a great person," I said quietly.

"Well, you know me better, and you know I'm not. Shubman wouldn't think that if he knew me properly," she said calmly. "You're the real kind one among us, Allie. You're kind and sweet and supportive."

"They way you made Kuldeep smile..."

"I did it because it was Kuldeep. It was Kuldeep, and I love him. But if it was a foreign player, say Starc or someone, even if they were bleeding to death in front of me, I wouldn't try to save him," she said.

I looked at her.

"You would. You would help anyone. Loyalty and kindness aren't the same thing. Of course I'm loyal to my team... But I'm not a good person, and you are," she said.

"I'm not sure you're right about this," I said uncertainly.

"You don't need to be sure. Shubman loves you. Can't you see that?"

"I--"

"You can't be seriously thinking he likes me better just because I'm a cricket fan. Most cricketers marry girls who aren't interested in cricket, by the way. Just a stat," she added, grinning.

"Do you think he really loves me? Because I'm sure I do. It's not a crush anymore because he's so handsome. I love him," I said, finally putting my feelings into words.

"He does too. He'll tell you someday soon, don't worry," assured Neeti, caressing the notebook which contained all the autographs.

"Thanks a lot for being such a great best friend," I told her teasingly. But I mean in.

I'm lucky to have her. I really am.

All cricket fans are the same--childish and crazy and loyal.