first greets and last meets

day 1 (part II)

"You seem more...."

Ajinkya had trailed off, searching for a better word as Shubman scolded himself for hanging on to every word of the former. Don't get attached.

They were now in the practice ground, their little group consisting of him, a few reserve players and the captain. The meet-and-greet had lasted for a little over two hours, giving all the players the entire day to practice and get used to their teammates. Shubman was feeling confident today, firing off shots during his turn in the net, thanks to the warm-up workout he'd managed to squeeze in the morning. It was a five-minute turned gossip-session-between-the-team break now, the coach's absence letting everyone relax a bit.

"...reserved, than I'd thought honestly."

Shubman tilted his head, confused. "I don't get it?"

"I just mean, you were supposed to be this hotshot prodigy that everyone was raving about. You've won in international U19 cricket, for heaven' sake. But then the drafting in India C had made you seem..." He waved his hand in the air a couple of times and Shubman realized it was supposed to mean something. He, too, waved his hand in the air, trying to grasp what the fuss was about when he heard the captain sigh a laugh.

"The media made you seem redemptive, in that sense."

"So, you're saying I'm not as passionate as you were expecting?"

"NO, not passionate. Just not as...." He did the hand wave thing again.

"I think he means he expected you to be more arrogant, prodigy." Navdeep, an extra in their team, laughed, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Shubman shrugged it off; he wasn't a big fan of skin ship. Physical contact was common in such games he knew, so he wasn't overly sensitive about it, but still, the minimal, the better.

"Oh, come on, it's not arrogant for sure." Ajinkya paused, considering. "Well, in some sense maybe.... But definitely not in the wrong way, kid---!"

"It's okay, cap." Shubman decided to relieve the captain of his misery as he seemed a little too focused on finding the right word for exactly how he'd expected the former to be. He'd gotten a fair idea already.

"I'm more of a keep-my-head-down kind of guy. Showing off isn't my move." He paused, for dramatics of course.

"Except when the occasion calls for it, obviously." He wasn't a prude, dammit.

A chorus of "oohs" and "kid's got balls" echoed around him, with Ajinkya finally cracking a cheeky smile, finding his playful side endearing. Or at least that's how it seemed to Shubman.

"I say," Umar, another reserve player, came forward. "Why don't we test the new guy's skills a bit? Make him play a few overs by himself. See if his show-off is worth showing off, yeah?" With some encouraging noises, he moved to the captain and Shubman. "What say, cap? Prodigy?"

"I don't know, Umar. We don't want to exhaust him too much before the first match." Ajinkya glanced uncertainly towards the door their coach had disappeared in. "Coach seemed hell bent on none of us overworking ourselves."

"Aw come on, cap. Don't be a spoilsport!"

"Yeah, cap. It's not like a few overs will tire him out."

"And no one's gonna tell the coach, obviously. It'll be a fun team bonding practice."

"It'll be just five overs; each bowler takes one."

"The prodigy will also get to show off a little, cap. Wouldn't feel like a little kid amongst us anymore."

"Yeah cap, say yes! PLEASE!"

"Please cap!! PLEASEE!"

Ajinkya gazed at him unsurely, clearly at odds with making a good decision.