Shelter

You matter the most - 1 [Rohit-Virat]

This is purely a work of fiction, inspired by a mix of @Ralph-Obrien and @Durva_77's idea. Thanks guys💗

Respected Rohit Sharma,

This is to inform you that you will be captaining the Indian Cricket Team and also take over the role of the ODI captaincy, from the upcoming series in South Africa...

It was 9 in the morning and Rohit had just woken up, and that too, to this mind boggling news. He thought he was reading it wrong since he had just woken up so, he quickly ran to the bathroom and splashed the cold water on his face, then went to the bed, picked up the phone with shaky hands and re read the entire mail again.

Yet it remained the same.

At that moment, Rohit felt a lot of emotions, but none of them were happiness. From the message he could clearly derive that the decision had been made quite suddenly and just like he was, even Virat would have been kept in the dark for this news. He opened twitter and saw BCCI's tweet and that made his blood boil in anger at the godforsaken management. His Virat, one of India's phenomenal captains, retires with just a tweet, a tweet? One of the most brilliant tenure's as a Captain, ends with a single tweet. Goodness, how much he hated BCCI at that moment. Rohit thought about all the different ways he could destroy that stupid management, and also take Virat's help to do it.

But the next thoughts that arrived were the worst ones. Something he never wanted to happen. 

Does Virat think I did this to him? Does he think that I want the captaincy?

Rohit stopped in his tracks, as his mind considered this possibility as well, but his heart denied outright. 

"No", he said to himself. "Virat will know that I did not do it, that I don't want this captaincy."   

Rohit quickly grabbed his phone and made his way directly to Virat's room and there he found the entire squad. He glanced at their perplexed faces and wondered how long it had been since they had known the news and more important, what was their reaction to it. Rohit's eyes sought Ajinkya's first, who nodded, but Rohit didn't know what to make of it. He saw Virat sitting on a chair, and his shoulders sagged in relief, he found the one person whose assurance he needed, before anyone else's. 

"Virat- ", Rohit began.

"Good morning", Virat replied, and turned to him and Rohit found an unfamiliar expression in his eyes. "Skip", added Virat.

Rohit's world came crashing down. Like his worst nightmares, were coming true. 

"Boys", Virat said. "Wish our skipper." 

"Virat", Jinks said firmly. "Don't act like a child. You are- "

"Not anymore", said Virat, a sarcastic chuckle escaping his lips, that broke the last pieces of Rohit's heart. "I am not the captain anymore, ain't I skipper?   

Rohit didn't know what hurt him more, Virat's behaviour, or the way he put the special effort on the word skipper. "Virat, I didn't know", said Rohit. "Believe me, I did not know anything about this."

"Of course you didn't", said Virat looking at Rohit with such indifference in his eyes that Rohit could not bear to look at them. "Of course you don't know anything, things just happen."    

Rohit stared at Virat, he was his best friend, his brother. They were supposed to be there for each other, to have each others back's, to fall and know that the other will always hold them. Till yesterday they were the like that, what changed today?

Virat stared at Rohit, the hurt under his anger, carefully concealed. He didn't know why he was angry at Rohit, or whether he was angry at all. But only his heart knew the desperation with which he was waiting for Rohit's call last night when the news had been delivered. He was not hurt because they were removing him and appointing Rohit, he was hurt with the way he had got to know that he was being removed. He was hurt, and the one who could handle the worst of his moods had been sleeping through the night and that increased his frustration, which came out on the person in front of him.