His Addictive ARCHNEMESIS ~ Ishman

Ch: 18 ~ Clash of Tempers

The cricket ground buzzed with energy, spectators cheering loudly as St. Marie's team faced off against one of the stongest team, Crownwood College. This wasn't just another match; it was a crucial game that would determine their advancement to the finals.

Ishan, as captain, had meticulously planned their strategy- though it was just all about - go wild, and so far, under his leadership, the team had delivered spectacularly.

But Crownwood wasn't going to let them win easily.

The match had reached a critical juncture. St. Marie was chasing a target of 265 in 50 overs. At 150 for 7 in 30 overs, they were in a strong position, with Ishan and Shubman at the crease.

Ishan had been batting aggressively like always, scoring quick boundaries to keep the momentum alive.

Shubman, on the other hand, had been the calm anchor, rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking.

As the overs progressed, Crownwood's fielders started chirping, hurling taunts at Ishan. One of their bowlers, a wiry pacer named Arjun, smirked after delivering a bouncer that narrowly missed Ishan's head.

"Captain Saheb," Arjun sneered, "all that talk about being the best team, but you're team is struggling to even stay on the crease.. tch tch tch."

Ishan clenched his jaw, his temper flaring. The words hit harder than the ball. Turning to Shubman, he muttered, "We'll win this with a margin so big they'll regret opening their mouths."

Shubman frowned, sensing the brewing storm. "Ishan, calm down. We're on track, we might have lost the wickets but we have overs on our side. Don't let them get into your head, we need to play safe."

Ishan ignored him, determined to prove a point. His approach became riskier, attempting audacious shots to smash boundaries off every ball.

Twice, he almost lost his wicket-once from a thick edge that just cleared the slips and another when a mis-timed pull shot fell agonizingly short of midwicket.

Shubman walked up to him between deliveries, his voice firm. "Ishan, stop this. You're playing into their hands. Stick to the plan."

But Ishan shook him off. "I know what I'm doing, Shubman. Just back me up."

The tension between the two was palpable. While Ishan charged down the track to play lofted shots, Shubman stubbornly stuck to his game, refusing risky singles.

The disparity in their approaches became evident, and the arguments began.

"I told you to run!" Ishan snapped after Shubman denied a sharp single.

"It wasn't worth it!" Shubman shot back, his eyes narrowing. "I'm not risking the game for your EGO."

Ishan's glare could have set the pitch on fire, but Shubman remained unyielding.

The crowd began to notice the heated exchanges. The commentators, too, picked up on the discord.

"Looks like some tension between the St. Marie batsmen," one of them remarked. "They need to settle down if they want to finish this chase."

In the 38th over, Ishan attempted a suicidal second run to prove his point. Shubman, seeing the danger, yelled, "No!" but Ishan ran anyway. A brilliant direct hit from the fielder sent the decision upstairs.

The entire stadium held its breath as the third umpire reviewed the footage. The big screen flashed "NOT OUT," and a collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd.

Shubman stormed to the striker's end. "What the hell was that, Ishan? Are you trying to throw the match?"

"I'm trying to win it in style!" Ishan snapped, brushing him off.