His Priority (A Rahul-Virat bond fanfiction)

Part 2

The next morning passed too quickly for Rahul's liking, without him getting a single moment with Virat alone.

I'll talk to him after the match, he decided.

Rohit and Rahul opened, and Rohit fell cheaply, and then Rahul was batting with Virat.

The Englishmen were pumped up at the quick dismissal of the most dangerous player of the team, so they were sledging quite a lot.

"You don't need to play well, buddy," said one of them to Rahul. "Your captain will take you anyway, won't he?"

Rahul was very used to this line of trolling. It was the quickest and surest was to get to him, because the fact that he had got many more chances than the average Indian youngster was a fact he knew himself.

He tried his best to ignore their jabs like 'captain's favourite' and 'RCB quota', but that day, he was failing.

Virat could see that Rahul was out of focus, playing tentative shots, and hesitating a lot, and it annoyed him.

Between two overs, he told Rahul, "You're not focussing!"

"Sorry," said Rahul automatically. "I'm--I'm trying."

"Don't let these idiots have everything," said Virat before walking away.

Virat's words, instead of motivating Rahul, did the opposite, and he felt more on-the-edge than ever.

India was playing at an excruciatingly slow run rate on Chepauk's turning pitch, and the sun was blazing overhead, India was already 0-1 down in the series, and Virat was in a seriously bad mood.

As Rahul took ground, one of the opposition quipped to him, "I hear you're cosy with the captain's wife, too. That helps, doesn't it? Must help a lot!"

Rahul's jaw clenched, but he was so mad that he mistimed the next shot and it fell short of the man at the boundary by inches.

"What are you doing?" exploded Virat (in Hindi, of course, so that the England players couldn't understand). "Why are you letting their petty sledging get to you?"

Rahul couldn't say anything.

"You know I've fought for you a lot against these people and the management--will you stop letting us down?"

Rahul looked away from Virat, feeling his stomach drop.

It was very common for Virat to yell at someone on the field (he did it with everyone except Bhuvi), and Rahul knew that perfectly well, but still... Virat affected Rahul like no one else did.

Virat knew from Rahul's expression that he had been too harsh, and he tried saying in a softer tone, "Now go and play."

"Yeah," muttered Rahul, as they went back to their creases.

Unfortunately, Rahul managed to get out the very next ball, which was the worst thing that could happen under the circumstances.

He walked off the field fast, not daring to look up at Virat--at Virat's anger or worse, disappointment.

Virat sighed at Rayudu came to bat.

Now he'd have to bat with this ridiculous moron instead of his Ro or Rahuliya.

________________

Some member of the Chennai Cricket Board had some relation who was getting married (his daughter, Virat thought), and the ICT had been invited since it was in the banquet hall of the same hotel where they were staying.

Virat arrived late because he had been watching Hardik and Rahul's episode while the others had gone down.

India's victory that day, thus keeping them alive in the series, had put him in a good mood, and after watching the episode, he sat down to think.