Shadows Of The Stumps

Chapter - 93

The fall of Dev's wicket for a composed 25 didn't dampen the spirits of the crowd. Instead, it signaled the arrival of Virat Kohli at the crease, and the stadium roared in anticipation. Yashasvi Jaiswal, now batting on 153, greeted Virat with a nod and a quick word of encouragement. The two exchanged a brief smile as they got down to business.

Virat started cautiously, respecting the bowlers and assessing the conditions. His early strokes were measured, content with singles and quick running between the wickets. On the other end, Yash continued his sublime form, dispatching anything off-line to the boundary with elegance and precision. The partnership grew, and so did the scoreboard.

By the next overs the pair had put the team in a commanding position. Yashasvi, having reached 161 with a flurry of boundaries, looked unstoppable. Virat, meanwhile, had begun to find his rhythm, matching Yash's pace with his trademark cover drives and flicks.

But as the partnership soared, the inevitable happened. A perfectly disguised slower ball caught Yash off guard as he attempted to loft it over mid-off. The ball didn't connect as cleanly as he intended, and the fielder stationed at the edge of the circle made no mistake.

The crowd fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting into applause. Yashasvi stood at the crease for a moment, visibly disappointed, but as he turned to walk back, the crowd's ovation became deafening. He raised his bat, acknowledging the cheers and support for his brilliant 161-run knock.

As he approached the boundary rope, he looked back at Virat, who was standing near the pitch, his bat resting against his thigh. Yash smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, silently assuring him, "You've got this."

Virat nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. The scoreboard read 313/3, and the weight of responsibility shifted firmly onto his shoulders. The stage was set for him to finish what Yash had started.

Virat tapped his bat on the pitch, his eyes narrowing in focus. "For the kid, for the team, for the nation," he thought. The next bowler began his run-up, and Virat prepared to write the next chapter of this remarkable innings.
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With 313/3 on the board and overs still left to play, the responsibility was clear.

As they took their stances on the field, Meera turned to Rahul at the dugout. "Anna, I'll go check the field. Yash's century has certainly fueled the energy, making our job of managing the fans just a little more difficult than it already was," she laughed lightly.

Rahul chuckled in agreement. "Fair enough, Meera. Keep things under control out there."

As Meera began to leave, Yash looked up at her with wide, innocent eyes. "Aap hamare saath match nahi dekhogi?" he asked, his voice tinged with childlike sincerity.

Meera paused, her expression softening. "Aati hoon wapas, Yash. Just one round of checking, okay?" she assured him with a small smile.

Rahul observed the exchange, his chest swelling with pride. He was glad to see how well the team had accepted his sister. Before he could say anything, Shub called out teasingly, "Waah, Yash ko kitne pyaar se jawab milta hai! Mere saath toh aap kabhi itni sweet nahi hoti."

Laughter erupted around the dugout as Meera turned to Shub, raising an eyebrow. "Woh bacha hai, Shub. Aur tu... kameena hai."

The laughter only grew louder at her quick-witted response. Even Ashwin joined in, shaking his head with a grin. "Alright, madam, go do your rounds. But just a heads-up, it's going to be even more chaotic when Virat scores his century," he said, smirking knowingly.

Meera tilted her head, an amused smile playing on her lips. "Don't worry, Ash Anna By the time Virat hits his century, I'll have the entire perimeter locked down tighter than your bowling economy."