𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝 [ Shubman Gill ]

Ten

At Wankhede Stadium, the sun hung high over the practice ground, casting a golden hue over the turf as the team went about their usual routines. Shubman was deep in the nets, his mind wandering occasionally to the chaos his life had become off the field.

He hadn't noticed Rohit and Virat walking toward him, grinning like they were about to drop some serious mischief.

"Arre, Shubhi, bhai! Kaisa hai?" Rohit called out, leaning against the net pole.

Shubman looked up, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and gave them a cautious smile. He knew that tone, and it meant trouble. "Bas Rohit bhai, thoda practice kar raha tha."

"Practice toh theek hai, par yeh nayi life kaise chal rahi hai, Mr. Newly Married?" Virat teased, folding his arms as he smirked.

Shubman sighed internally, knowing there was no escape from the conversation. He put his bat down and walked over to them. "Everything okay bhai. Just trying to adjust....it's a....slow process."

Rohit burst out laughing. "Adjust ho raha hai? Matlab abhi tak Aditi ne ghar mein tera raasta banwa diya ya ab tak struggle chal raha hai?"

Shubman ran a hand through his hair, chuckling despite himself. "Bhai, I don't even know what's happening. Ghar pe poora circus chal raha hai. And Aditi... she's just..." He trailed off, not sure how to describe the tornado that was his wife.

Virat raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Rohit. "Aditi toh ekdum entertaining lagti hai. Par sun, sach bata... shaadi ka itna sudden twist kaise manage kiya? Tu toh Kiara ke saath tha, aur phir... bam! Aditi."

Shubman groaned, remembering the media storm and the madness of that day. "Bhai, I myself don't know. Kiara didn't show up, and family decided to get me married to Aditi. Aur woh bhi itni chill thi jaise koi shaadi nahi, birthday party ho."

Rohit laughed, shaking his head. "This was epic! You both are the best duo anyways. Aditi's energy and your silent torture face! Perfect balance."

"Perfect balance?" Shubman scoffed. "Bhai, I'm counting days, har din kuch na kuch naya drama hota hai ghar pe."

Virat clapped him on the back, laughing. "Welcome to married life, bro. You thought that you could handle stressful situations well? Now that you're married, you'll know what real stress and pressure is."

Just as Shubman was about to reply, Ishan strolled over, having overheard part of the conversation. "Arre, yeh kya baatein ho rahi hain? Shaadi ke baare mein itni intense discussion? Shubman bhai, tu toh ab full-time husband ban gaya hai, you're obviously gonna be a part of it now."

Shubman rolled his eyes. "Haan, haan, mazaak bana lo tum log. Tumhara din bhi aayega."

"Just shut up okay! It's my duty to be equally participatory in your life, be it professional or domestic. And deep inside, I didn't like it one bit priyatame. Meri aur Aditi ki kitni acchi setting ho rahi thi!" Ishan cried, making Shubman roll his eyes as Rohit and Virat chuckled, as if they were at a circus.

Ishan chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Par seriously bata, first night mein kya entertainment hua? Aditi ne kya drama kiya?"

Rohit and Virat both turned to Shubman, raising their eyebrows expectantly. "Haan haan, bata na!" Rohit urged, smirking.

Shubman, now completely exasperated, shook his head. "Bhai, tum logon ke dimaag mein sirf wahi cheezein kyun rehti hain? First night ka koi special scene nahi tha. Main room mein gaya, aur Aditi..." He paused, letting the suspense build.

"What? What happened?" Ishan leaned forward eagerly.

Shubman sighed. "Woh laash ban ke soyi padi thi. Puri shaadi ke jhamele ke baad madam ko neend aa gayi thi. Aur main wahaan khada usse dekhta raha. And then madam woke up and started bossing me around."

For a second, there was complete silence as they processed this, and then all three of them burst out laughing. "Bhai this was classic!" Virat said, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Mujhe lagta tha tu thoda romantic banega, par tu toh ekdum comedy ban gaya!"

"Bhai I'm telling you Shub, your life is about to become a daily sitcom!" Rohit added, still laughing. "Yeh toh bas shuruaat hai."

Ishan wiped his eyes, grinning. "But listen Shubman, abhi tak tum dono properly baith ke baat bhi nahi ki hogi na? Matlab actual serious conversation about shaadi and future and all that."

Shubman shook his head. "Nahi bhai. We're just chilling as of now, like we used to. Matlab abhi tak real feel nahi aayi hai shaadi ki."

"Arre yeh sab baatein toh baad mein bhi ho sakti hain," Rohit said, dismissively. "Tum log abhi honeymoon phase mein ho, chill maro aur enjoy karo. Media ka kya hai, woh hamesha peeche padti hai. Tumhe sirf apna mazaak bana ke maze lene hain."

"And handle Aditi as well." Virat added, winking.

"That's the toughest part," Shubman muttered.

Just then, the coach called them to wrap up practice. As they started walking back towards the locker room, Shubman felt a strange sense of calm washing over him. The jokes and teasing from his teammates had actually lightened his mood.

But as the day ended and it was time to head home, reality slowly started settling in again. He had to go back, not to his usual home, but to a new life, with Aditi waiting for him there.

The thought of it made him pause for a second at the stadium gates. He stared at the busy Mumbai streets ahead, the noise of honking cars and distant chatter filling the air.

"Ab ghar jaana hai.....new house.....new life, new wife." Shubman muttered to himself. He let out a long breath, shaking his head.

"Chal, Shubman, yeh bhi ek match hi samajh le. Bas har din naye overs."

With that, he sat in his car and headed off into the bustling city, preparing himself for whatever chaos awaited him at home.