Shadows Of The Stumps

Never Give Up

Almost a month later, the house was buzzing again. Meera had started walking better-slow steps but steadier now. She still needed a crutch, but the wheelchair had been retired to some corner, much to her stubborn pride. Right now, she was giggling with four-month-old Eva, who seemed to find Meera's exaggerated baby voices absolutely hilarious.

Sunil, Arjun, Ahan, and Hardik were at the dining table, mugs of tea and plates of biscuits in front of them, while Athiya was lounging on the sofa getting a head massage from Mana, her eyes closed like she'd found nirvana.

Sunil folded down his newspaper with a little shake of his head.
"What a series it has been against England, no?" he said, tone both impressed and just a tad nostalgic. "Rahul completed 1000 runs against England, Jadeja has been so good, Shubman's had a great stint as captain, Rishabh showed the spirit of cricket playing even when injured. I hope he gets well soon, though."

Hardik grinned, leaning back in his chair. "True! And Akashdeep's had a great bowling stint... and obviously Booms-who better than him?"

Arjun smirked. "You sound like you're reading the ICC Instagram captions."

"Arre, yaar, facts toh facts hote hain," Hardik shot back, earning a chuckle from Ahan.

Meera, still bouncing Eva on her lap, piped up with a mock-serious face. "And no one's going to mention my emotional breakdown after the first Test loss?"

"You mean the one where we had to call Virat for help?" Shreyas's voice came from the hallway as he entered, holding two paper bags. He set them on the counter and added with a wicked grin, "I still have the voice note you sent him crying about 'wasted centuries'."

"Delete it!" Meera pointed a threatening finger at him, but Eva's giggle completely ruined the effect.

Athiya opened one eye lazily. "Don't delete it, Shrey. I'll use it for blackmail."

"Haan, exactly," Hardik said with a laugh. "Next time you fight with us, bas 'Play' dabayenge."

"You people are evil," Meera muttered, hiding her face in Eva's tiny hands as the room erupted in laughter.

As the laughter finally settled, Hardik leaned back in his chair, still grinning, but his tone softened a little.
"But seriously, yaar... the series has been equally heartbreaking and full of drama," he said, waving a biscuit like a pointer. "That confrontation with the English players-uff, fire everywhere-and then that third Test where England won by just 22 runs. Man, Siraj looked so heartbroken at the end."

The room quietened for a beat. Even Eva stopped giggling, as though sensing the dip in mood.

Sunil nodded, face thoughtful. "That's cricket though, na? Glorious one moment, cruel the next."

Ahan sighed. "I was at the edge of my seat that entire last hour. Bas lag raha tha we had it... and then, gone."

"Siraj ke aansoon yaad hain mujhe," Arjun murmured, his voice carrying a quiet respect. "Shows how much it means to them. That kind of passion... can't be faked."

Meera, who'd been making silly faces at Eva, grew serious for a moment. She gently pressed her cheek to the baby's head. "It's always the near-misses that break you more than the big defeats."

Shreyas, ever the mood-lifter, suddenly clapped his hands. "Okay, okay-enough gloom. Next match mein we'll bounce back. Bas, Rahul ka form chal raha hai toh baaki sab automatically thik ho jaata hai."

Athiya smiled softly at that, pride glinting in her eyes, though she quickly covered it with a teasing: "Haan, haan, talking as if mere pati parmeshwar par sab bharosa hai."