The moment Sahil entered the net—

he felt every eye on him.

Not because he was famous.

Not yet.

But because he looked different from the others.

Borrowed pads.

Old gloves.

Tape marks still visible on his bat handle.

Most school players looked polished.

Sahil still looked like Riverside Gully.

Behind the nets, students whispered quietly.

"That’s the six-hitting guy."

"Gully player?"

"He’ll struggle with swing bowling."

Sahil pretended not to hear anything.

But internally—

his heartbeat sped up badly.

The system appeared one final time before the first ball.

EVENT ANALYSIS

Host emotional pressure elevated.

Current Risk: Over-aggressive proving behavior.

Recommendation: Observe first. Attack later.

Then the screen disappeared.

No more guidance.

No predicted bowling.

Nothing.

Only cricket.

Coach Verma stood near the side net holding a notebook.

Beside him stood the PT teacher and two senior players.

Including Kabir.

Watching silently.

"Ready?" the bowler asked.

Sahil nodded.

First ball.

Good length outside off.

Sahil instinctively tried hitting hard.

THICK EDGE.

The ball flew awkwardly toward third man area.

Not out.

But ugly.

Very ugly.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Mistakes: ✘ Overcommitted power loading ✘ Head position unstable ✘ Bat swing too horizontal

Emotional Trigger Detected: Host attempting early impression shot.

Sahil exhaled slowly.

Bad start.

Very bad start.

And the worst part?

Kabir definitely noticed.

Second ball.

Fuller.

Sahil defended late.

The impact stung his hands instantly.

Leather ball reality again.

Third ball.

Slightly shorter.

This time Sahil stayed balanced longer.

Then punched through covers.

FOUR.

Not flashy.

But clean.

Coach Verma looked up immediately.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 82%

Timing: 79%

Positive: ✔ Proper weight transfer ✔ Controlled downswing ✔ Stable balance

That one shot settled Sahil slightly.

Because now he remembered:

He didn’t need to prove power immediately.

Good batting itself was enough.

The trial continued for several overs.

And honestly?

Sahil’s session became mixed.

Some excellent shots.

Some ugly swings.

One beautiful straight drive.

Two horrible attempts against spin.

A missed pull shot.

One massive six over long-on that made everyone stare briefly.

That six especially changed the atmosphere.

Because unlike gully cricket—

this was a heavy leather ball.

And Sahil still cleared the boundary comfortably.

Even Kabir looked surprised for a second.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 88%

Timing: 76%

Positive: ✔ Exceptional raw power transfer ✔ Excellent bat speed retention against leather ball

Observation: Host power remains elite-level trait despite technical inconsistency.

Elite-level again.

That word appeared rarely.

Very rarely.

After batting, Sahil moved toward fielding drills.

And immediately struggled again.

High catches under leather-ball spin felt awkward.

Ground fielding looked messy compared to trained players.

His throwing technique lacked polish too.

The system highlighted everything mercilessly.

FIELDING REVIEW

Weaknesses: ✘ Slow pickup transition ✘ Catching hand positioning incorrect ✘ Throwing mechanics inefficient

Meanwhile academy boys moved smoothly through drills.

Especially Kabir.

Watching him honestly felt irritating sometimes.

Because he looked naturally complete.

Still—

Sahil noticed something important near the end of trials.

Whenever batting became aggressive—

people watched him differently.

Not because he was technically best.

Because his hitting felt dangerous.

Unique.

As the session ended, Coach Verma finally called a few names aside.

Kabir.

Nikhil.

Aman.

Expected.

Then—

"Sahil Choudhary."

Sahil froze slightly.

The coach looked at him carefully.

"You’re rough technically."

Not exactly encouraging.

Then Coach Verma continued: 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"But your ball striking is rare at school level."

Sahil stayed silent.

"You have bad habits," the coach added bluntly. "But bad habits can be corrected."

Then he handed Sahil a paper.