Bittersweet

1.

Shubman's pov:

Shubman couldn't believe it. This was the very thing that he had been praying to not happen for years. Performing badly in knockout matches has been his worst nightmare which has come true now.

He wished God gave him more chances and that fate wasn't so cruel to him. In every single match his performance was either too good or too bad, but never quite balanced. He was utterly disappointed in himself beyond measure. He wishes he could go back in time and finish his century in that game with Sri Lanka or at least even in the semi-final when he actually had the chance. But it is over now, his first world cup was a disaster and he was yet to come to terms with that.

So he screamed without caring about how he looked on camera. He was devastated and couldn't hide his frustration. The walk to the pavilion was the worst, he felt as if he shattered the dreams of millions of people with one badly played shot.

As Shubman ran to the dressing room, thankful for no cameras following him, he observed that Ishan also came right behind him. Ishan. The one who has always been by his side during the good, the bad, the best and the worst. He was extremely grateful for him, his presence and his unwavering support.

Shubman collapsed onto a couch and couldn't hold back his tears anymore. Ishan joined him and slowly started rubbing his back.

"Shubi, Shubi, calm down. I understand what you are feeling but you really need to calm down as you have to go and field later." Ishan tried to pacify Shubman but he did not stop crying.

"You want me to 'calm down'??? Are you serious?" Shubman started shouting in a loud voice and Ishan looked around the room to check if there were any cameras.

"Shub, I understand but-"

"No Ishan, you absolutely do not understand. You understand nothing." Shubman stormed off leaving Ishan alone on the couch.

Ishan's pov:

Ishan couldn't bear the sight of such a devastated Shubman. The scream and that look of disappointment was too heartbreaking to watch. But he couldn't help but feel that twinge of anger when Shubman walked away from him. Asking him to calm down was probably not the best thing to do but someone had to tell him that and unfortunately Ishan had been that person.

So Ishan walked back to the dugout and joined everyone there. They didn't talk much after that, though Ishan's eyes were always on Shubman. He could sense the dread hiding behind them.

The loss wasn't entirely unexpected but it was still very painful for every single one of them. And most importantly for Rohit bhaiya, seeing him cry made Ishan almost break down too. Rohit Bhaiya and Virat Bhaiya deserved the win more than anyone else and they all knew that.

Shubman kept his distance from Ishan throughout the post match things, they didn't talk to each other the whole while. Even in the dressing room it wasn't the usual environment. It was the first time in this whole tournament (which just came to an end) that the dressing room's atmosphere wasn't all loud and happy. Ishan hated such a mood but he couldn't help but cry along with everyone. The best fielder award presentation was also quite sombre. Though Shubman came to sit beside him, they didn't talk like they always did.

Even on the bus, Shubman didn't come to speak to Ishan. And though he wanted to go to Shubman and talk to him himself, he did not. For once, he decided he'll wait.

They soon reached the hotel and everyone silently disappeared into their own separate rooms, he saw Shubman looking at him while they both disappeared into different ones. As he was dropping his bags off and settling down to sleep, there was a knock on his door. He recognised the footsteps and immediately went to open the door.