Cricket One Shots- BL

I Am All Yours ft Ishan Kishan

Aan Pandey to join Mumbai Indians

New Zealand wicket keeper batsman Aan Pandey is slated to play for Mumbai Indians in the next edition of IPL. The 18 year old was snagged at base price at the mini auction. It was widely expected that the left-handed boy wonder would join CSK in the path of his father, Rachin Ravindra. But only MI bid for the player and was purchased with no other takers.

"So, your request to the CSK team worked. They did not bid for your son", Ishan asked his husband. "Of course. Rutu knows our situation. He helped me convince the others. I hope he plays for Chennai at some point- he deserves the love that the people there have. Maybe once he is comfortable with the IPL environment, he can move away from MI", Rachin said.

"Rach, the only reason I wanted him in MI is that Rohit bhaiyya is a part of their set up and he would keep an eye on our son- he seemed to gel well with Aan. If he wants to move, he can always do that next year- anywhere, but Gujarat", Ishan said. "Babe, you know you can't prevent Shubman from interacting with him. Let's just hope he stays professional", Rachin said.

"Shubman will be professional - I am not so sure about your son- he gets this irrational rage whenever he hears Shubman's name. I have requested Rohit bhai to not let him be alone with Shubman - I can't trust what he would do", said the worried man.

They were letting Aan travel alone for the IPL. Rachin had his coaching commitments at the academy and Ishan didn't want to pull out the younger ones from school for such a long period. "Remember baby, if ever you feel overwhelmed by the glam and glitter of the tournament, you can call us. We will come and help you out. Rohit bhaiyya is like an uncle to you- you can go to him for anything. Don't get into any mischief, all right?", Ishan advised his baby before seeing him off at the airport.

Aan joined the MI camp two weeks before the tournament started and was introduced to the team. While there were some grumpy faces, unhappy about a newbie getting drafted directly into the playing eleven, most people were welcoming of the youngster. He was rooming with Angad Bumrah- though Angad didn't know Aan's MI connection, he was very supportive of the young boy.

It was during one of the team outings that the legend, Sachin Tendulkar met the young Kiwi wicket-keeper. "Arre, he looks so much like Shubman Gill. Hai na, Sara?", he asked. Everyone laughed it off, but Aan's discomfort was noticed by two people- his roommate Angad and Sara.

"Aan, why are you in such a bad mood? Sachin sir was joking- anyway, is it that bad to look like Shubman Gill?", Angad asked. "There are a lot of things in my life that you don't know, Angad. Some day I might trust you enough to share it with you", Aan said before walking away. Sara had heard the discussion between the boys and was now keen to know what the boy meant. She had no contact with Shubman for quite a few years now, but now seemed like a good time to reestablish contact.

Once the catch up formalities were completed, Sara asked Shubman,"Accha, have you met this new guy, Aan Pandey". "Who? The new MI recruit? Haan met him at that test match in Mohali briefly. Why?", Shubman asked. "Nahi, kuch nahi. Just that he is your ditto copy, except for the curls", Sara teased him. "Oh. I don't know. I didn't notice", said Shubman, trying to ignore the line of questions. "Interesting reaction. Funnily, that boy too got quite flustered when dad said the same thing in jest. Lagta hai mujhe usse hi poochna padega. Chalo, bye then", she said before disconnecting.

Shubman knew he needed to warn the kid, but was forbidden by Ishan from getting in touch with Aan, directly. So, he shot a message to Ishan explaining the situation. Ishan replied saying he would handle it and that was the end of it, as far as Shubman was concerned.

Aan did well on his debut for MI. He scored a blitzkrieg 65 from 25 balls, batting at number 5 and was a key contributor to their winning start. The press was expecting the 18 yr old to address them after his magnificent performance, but Rohit decided that he doesn't need the limelight yet. He did well in the next few matches and Rohit had no option other than putting him in front of a press conference.