When the system started to download the skills from the kids within the 100-meter radius, during the toss, the kid named Ranga won the toss and decided to bat first.
Rules were decided: it would be a 5-over match.
The winner would get the right to play in this spot on the ground for a day, while the loser should move away to another spot.
"Jack, go to the covers... Aravind, go to the back to keep... Ravi, go too long off..."
Kenny set the fields. He would be the one to bowl the first over.
The match would be played with a Pepsi rubber ball.
"Rudra, go to mid-on. Why are you looking at my face?"
Seeing Rudra still standing beside him, Kenny urged him to go to the field position he allocated.
"____"
"Go!!!"
Kenny urged him.
Sigh...
"Fine... fine, I am going there."
Rudra jogged to mid-on and took his field position.
After placing the field, Kenny got ready to bowl.
Ranga was the one on strike while another kid took the non-striker's end.
Kenny started bowling him over with three successful wides in a row.
"____"
"____"
"Kenny, you can stand and bowl, right, without taking the running stride."
Noticing the wide deliveries being bowled, Rudra tried to help Kenny.
"No... I am going to be like Brett Lee. How can I stand and throw the ball?"
Kenny rebutted and started bowling a few more wides.
In this over, he gave a total of 20 runs, including 10 wides.
The next 3 overs, bowled by the kids in Rudra's team, gave 35 runs, including 5 wides.
On the last ball of the 4th over, the kid opening with Ranga tried to hit the ball a little too hard and hit it straight to Rudra.
He could see the ball clearly, and his hands moved in synchronization, capturing it with precision.
"____"
Seeing the catch was taken, his teammates congratulated him with wide smiles.
Even though the catch looked very easy and seemed like the ball went straight to his hands, the standard of children is the reflex showed by Rudra when the ball came straight at him fiercely.
Let Ranga be impressed by the catch.
In the last over, Kenny gave the ball to Rudra to bowl.
On the second over, the system prompt reminded Rudra that the skills were downloaded successfully.
Rudra took a long stride and gripped the ball in the seam position on the grip with a slight opening.
He took a long breath and started running and bowled the first ball to Ranga, his bowling action resembling Jofra Archer.
The first ball took Ranga by surprise, which had a good pace in it and pitched on the slot region, threatening to take the off stump with it.
He insensitively defended it and looked at Rudra with wide eyes.
Ranga joined the cricket club in his school and played a few matches in leather cork ball as a batter.
Even though the speed was not as fast as the ball bowled by his seniors, this ball had a great amount of pace for a ten-year-old kid.
"Super Rudra! Bowl like the way I taught you!" Seeing Rudra bowl a dot ball, Kenny exclaimed excitedly.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Rudra, ignoring Kenny, took the ball and started running his stride to bowl the second ball.
This time the ball was pitched short. Ranga swung his bat but missed it, but the keeper behind the stump misfielded and the ball runs for a four.
"____"
On the remaining four balls, Rudra gave 12 runs, in which two fours were extras due to the misfields from the keeper.
And the last ball was hit for a four by Ranga.
Unfortunately, no wicket fell on his over.
In five overs, Ranga's team had scored 67 for 1 wicket.
After finishing bowling, Rudra checked his status:
[ Status:
Name: Rudra
Age: 10 years old.
Batting: 19.2(+0.2)
Bowling: 10.1(+0.1)
Fielding: 15.1(+0.1)
Running Between: 9.2(+0.2)
Accuracy: Bullseye (maximum.)
Reaction Time: 12.3(+0.3)
Abilities: perfect body, flexible batting, (new) perfect stride. ]
This time both Kenny and Rudra opened for their teams.
Kenny took the striking end, and Rudra took the non-striker end.
On the first ball, Kenny took a single, hitting the ball toward mid-off.
Seeing Rudra on strike, Ranga became interested and walked to the bowler, speaking something to him.
After a deep breath, Rudra took his position, which further increased Ranga's interest in him.
Not many kids can take the correct stance when batting. Even in his class, not many had a good stance, but the 10-year-old kid before him took it perfectly.
When the second ball was bowled, it came fast... faster than the previous delivery.
But Rudra could see the ball and its rotation in slow motion. He even saw the finger position of the bowler when he bowled it.
His ability with the bull's eye made it possible for him, where could see blue line traces before the ball, indicating the direction the ball traveled.
Even before the ball pitched, he could already know it was going to pitch on the slot region, heading for his off stump.
He moved his front foot with all his weight on his left foot, and his eyes were on the ball. He hit it with a straight drive.
The timing was perfect, and the ball went past the bowler and mid-off fielder, straight to the boundary for four.
"____"
"____"
"____"
The bowler and Ranga were shocked by the clean strike by Rudra.
'Is this my imagination?'
Even Rudra was shocked because he didn't feel any discomfort when he played the shot.
He felt very natural and flexible, like water, when he played the shot.
The next ball was a short ball, which moved at waist height.
Rudra pulled it with the same connection as the previous one, and it went for a six.
In this very over, Rudra scored 20 runs in 5 balls.
"Hey, kid, I have seen you where? Are you from Vijay Tada School?"
Ranga, who was wicket-keeping, asked Rudra, who was about to go to the non-striker's end.
"____"
"Yes, I am 6th standard, brother."
Hearing Ranga's question, Rudra nodded his head and answered him.
The next over was a maiden over, which was faced by Kenny.
On the 3rd over, when Rudra took the striker's end once again, Ranga went to the bowler and spoke something in the bowler's ear.
After the conversation, the bowler, who took a long stride to bowl fast, came forward and took a small stride, indicating he was going to bowl spin.
"____"
The first ball was an off-spin full toss, which Rudra flicked to deep square for four.
The second ball was another off-spin on his leg, which Rudra swept once again to deep square for four.
Each shot Rudra played amazed Ranga with how flexible and convincing he looked when he was playing it.
At the end of the third over, Rudra scored 24 runs in that one over.
At the end of the fourth over, three wickets had fallen, with only 2 runs scored on the last ball.
Rudra finished the match in the fifth over, 4th ball, by hitting a four-through cover drive.
Kenny and the other kids were overjoyed and ran to hug him, with wide smiles.
While Ranga, leaving, suddenly stopped and walked toward Rudra.
"Rudra, right? Next week, come and meet me at the cricket club. I will put in a good word for you to the coach."
After saying the words, Ranga jogged towards his group of friends and left the ground.
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(Author's POV)
Thanks for reading the chapter!
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