Chapter : 58

Rishav's POV

"Okay, we all are just one step away from that Trophy. Who wants to see the words 'DPS' on that Trophy?" Ravi asked, finally into the right spirits.

"We do." The boys responded in unison.

"What was that? I want a better response." Ravi asked.

"We do!" All of us responded, this time louder.

"Okay, it's showtime boys." Ravi said, satisfied with the enthusiasm and looked out at the wide field.

We all were inside the players gallery, covered by glass panels on one side which gave full view of the entire stadium. Crowds had gathered up about half an hour ago but their cheers had not stopped for even once. My parents and Ananya too were somewhere among the spectators but it was impossible to spot them.

Our team had won the toss and as planned beforehand, Ravi chose to bat first.

"All the best guys." Ravi told Mohit and Jay who were the openers today. They gave a head nod and walked out into the grounds. A loud cheer echoed through the crowds filled with excitement and enthusiasm. Students from both the schools raised the flags up high and started waving them with all their might. The flags glided up, representing the symbol of DPS and St.Louis School.

I was the fourth batsman and there was still enough time for me to get the cricket gear on. Ravi kept pacing around the gallery as he kept looking down at the players dispersed on the field.

The game soon started. Both Jay and Mohit were playing defensive. It was quite a slow over. I could see Madhav, that little guy from St. Louis, down there waiting beside the wicket keeper, playing the role of slips.

The moment the second over started, we all heard a loud and clear 'Thud' and the ball was rolling off towards the boundary speedily. Mohit had hit a four.

The crowds cheered up loudly.

The game continued pretty slow with Mohit going defensive every once in a while and Jay playing the balls on the safe side.

On one such throw, Jay hit the ball hard and it rolled off to the side. Both the batsmen ran towards each other in an attempt to score a run but out of nowhere one of the fielders got hold of the ball before Jay made it to the other end and he was runout at a score of 26 out of 20 balls.

"Showtime." Ravi said to himself as he swung his bat once inside the gallery and was about to walk out. He stopped on his tracks for some unknown reason and turned to look at me with a smile. I understood his smile and got up from my seat.

We did our fist bump as the unofficial ritual and then he made his way out of the gallery. If anything, the crowds cheered the loudest this time. Ravi was indeed a heartthrob for a lot of girls around the town. Everyone knew him. And if not everyone, then at least the girls did. I could see many of the rival team supporting girls get out of their seats and cheer for Ravi amidst the spectators. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

Ravi Sharma played really well, scoring 57 runs out of 39 balls already! Most of the St.Louis players had a sour expression on their faces, clearly angry about the big shots.

A five minutes break was called for by the team captain of St.Louis and the fielders circled up at a corner, away from the DPS batsmen. Once they were done with the planning of the new strategy, they all dispersed back to their positions on the field.

The bowler started with fast balls. Real fast. It was as if Kabir were playing on the field. And, Ravi is bad at fast balls. I mean he can handle them to an extent but he starts going defensive and can't make big hits with the fast paced balls.

In one such throw, the ball bounced up really high and it hit Ravi hard on his face. He was lucky that he had the helmet on which had the iron guards that shielded his face. It did boil Ravi's blood but he kept his calm as the umpire gave a warning to the bowler. Most of the DPS supporters in the spectators gallery booed and yelled curses at the umpire. Well, he stood unaffected. The over ended with Ravi completing 61 runs.

The next over started with Mohit on the batting position. The bowler took a run to throw the ball and when he did, the familiar, short sound of the wicket being hit echoed through the ground. I thought Mohit was out but what I saw left me dazed.

The bowler did take a run to throw the ball but he did not throw it towards Mohit. He turned and aimed for Ravi's wicket who was clearly out of the line, waiting to take a run. It was an unfair but acceptable way to get someone out of the game. For a moment, Ravi stood there baffled as he looked down at his stumps. There was utter silence in the entire stadium for a moment after which a chain of curses left Ravi's lips as he got his helmet off and threw it hard on the ground, walking towards the bowler with threatening steps, the bat swinging in his arm dangerously.

"Shit, Ravi no." I said out loud even though I knew he couldn't hear me.

The umpire and the rest of the fielders pushed Ravi back quite aggressively and he realized this wasn't the right time to react. Fuming in anger, my friend made his way back into the gallery. The crowds had started cursing the bowler heavily but he couldn't care less.

Ravi never handled unfair play. He just couldn't stand the disrespectful way in which he lost his wicket. I don't think he reacted wrongly. If it had been me, I would have already punched the guy. Okay, maybe not. But it'd still get my blood boiling.

I made my way out of the gallery with sheer determination. The determination to bash St.Louis boys and teach them how to play fair.