Bade Sapne

Inquiry

Shubman's POV

The room was suffocating. Not because it was hot, but because of the tension that filled the air. My heart raced as I sat in the BCCI office, staring at the letter I'd received just a few days ago. It felt unreal. I had been summoned for an inquiry about the match-fixing allegations swirling around me. The scandal had hit like a storm, and suddenly, I was the one in the middle of it.

"Mr. Gill, we'll begin shortly."

The BCCI official's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I nodded stiffly. I could feel my phone buzzing in my pocket—it was probably Abhi or Ishan—but I couldn't answer it now. My mind was spinning. How had it come to this? I was innocent, yet here I was, preparing to defend myself against accusations that could ruin my career.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus, trying to remind myself that I had done nothing wrong. But the media had a way of twisting things, and now, they'd dragged Vira into this mess too. Somehow, in the narrative they were spinning, Vira had convinced me to fix matches. Ridiculous. How could anyone believe that? Yet, here I was, about to face a panel of officials, some of whom probably already thought I was guilty.

"Mr. Gill, the board will see you now."

I stood up, wiping my hands on my pants to get rid of the sweat. The walk to the inquiry room felt like miles. When I entered, several stern faces greeted me—BCCI officials, all sitting behind a long table with folders and laptops in front of them. It was intimidating, to say the least.

I sat down, my back straight, eyes forward. I wasn't going to let them see how rattled I was. This was my career, my reputation, and I had nothing to hide.

One of the officials, an older man with glasses perched on the edge of his nose, cleared his throat. "Mr. Gill, as you know, there have been allegations against you involving potential match-fixing during the IPL. We've received reports, and the media has been relentless. We want to hear your side of the story before we proceed."

I nodded, trying to keep my voice steady. "I understand, sir. But let me be clear—these allegations are false. I have never, and would never, engage in match-fixing."

The man didn't look convinced. He picked up a piece of paper and adjusted his glasses. "According to reports, your performance in certain matches has raised suspicion. Particularly, during the last game against Rajasthan Royals. Your behavior on the field was noted to be... erratic."

I clenched my fists under the table. "Erratic? Sir, I wasn't at my best, I admit that. But that's just a bad game. Every player has one."

The official looked at the paper again. "There's more. There's a specific gesture you made—a subtle touch of your helmet after certain deliveries. The media has interpreted it as a signal, perhaps to bookies."

My stomach turned. That was insane. "I touch my helmet all the time—it's just a habit when I'm nervous or focusing on something. It doesn't mean anything."

Another official, a woman in her forties, leaned forward. "And what about Vira? There are rumors circulating that she's involved, that she's the one who influenced you to do this."

I felt anger rise up in my chest. "Vira has nothing to do with this. She wouldn't even think of something like that. These rumors are... they're baseless."

"But the timing of your relationship with her, and your performance dip..."

I couldn't take it anymore. "With all due respect, sir, I'm a cricketer, not a puppet. My relationship with Vira has nothing to do with my performance. In fact, there IS no relationship between us. People have bad games, and that's what happened. That's all."

The panel exchanged glances, and I could feel the weight of their scrutiny. They were looking for something, anything, to tie me to this ridiculous scandal. But they wouldn't find anything because there was nothing to find.

"We understand, Mr. Gill, but we have to investigate every possibility. There are large sums of money involved, and match-fixing isn't taken lightly."

"I get that," I said, my voice growing firm. "But you're barking up the wrong tree. I didn't fix any match, and neither did Vira."

The man with the glasses put the paper down and sighed. "We'll be reviewing all the footage and gathering more evidence. For now, you're under observation, and we'll be in touch with our decision. This inquiry is far from over."

I nodded. "Fine. I'll cooperate however you need. But I want this cleared up as soon as possible."

The woman gave me a nod. "We understand. But these things take time, Mr. Gill. We'll be in touch."

I stood up, fighting the urge to slam my fist on the table out of frustration. Instead, I forced myself to stay calm and professional. "Thank you for your time."

As I left the room, I felt drained. This wasn't going away anytime soon. And the worst part? Vira was being dragged into this nightmare along with me. I pulled out my phone as I walked down the corridor. A barrage of missed calls and messages greeted me, but I ignored them. Right now, I needed some air.

I walked out into the open, letting the fresh air hit my face. My phone buzzed again—it was a news alert. I hesitated, then opened it.

There it was. Another headline.

"Shubman Gill Under BCCI Inquiry for Match-Fixing: Allegations of Signals to Bookies During IPL Match"

And beneath that, a picture of me adjusting my helmet, alongside a photo of Vira with her head down, avoiding the media.

I clenched my jaw. The storm wasn't over yet.
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Shit, sorry guys, I forgot to update yesterday 😭

I've had a really fucked up sleep schedule recently so I literally just fell asleep as soon as I got home. But anyways, heres the chapter.

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Stay tuned ;)