12th November, 2023

"Kohli ko ball do!"

"Kohli ko ball do!"

"Kohli ko ball do!"

_________________

When Siraj was carried off the field after a minor concussion over a missed catch, Virat fell in step with Rohit.

"He will be fine," said Virat bracingly. "He will be back in a couple of overs, I know."

"Hope so..." said an unsuspecting Rohit.

"But I think we shouldn't bring him back into the attack anytime soon--"

"Yeah."

"And if possible, keep him from bowling altogether today," suggested Virat.

"We're playing with five bowlers," said Rohit. "But yep, I don't think they'll last more than 40 anyway."

"I think they will," said Virat. "They will."

Rohit looked at him, beginning to get suspicious. "What are you getting at?"

"I would really like the ball, Rohit." Virat held out a hand.

"Kohli ko ball do!"

"Kohli ko ball do!"

"Ok," said Rohit. "No. I am not giving you the ball."

"You have to," wheedled Virat. "It's my duty to look out for Siraj and I will not have you overworking him."

"I'm not overworking him—!"

"You always overwork our pacers because you won't give me the ball," said Virat.

"Oh yes, you do, Rohit bhaiya," put in Jassi. "I think you should give him the ball."

Virat, oblivious to the sarcasm, beamed at Jassi. Rohit rolled his eyes, sniffed and dropped the ball in Virat's still-outstretched palm.

"Do whatever you want."

__________________

When Virat took his 5th international ODI wicket, and Rahul shrieked and jumped and lost his head more than anyone had ever seen him, everyone in the team huddle was doubled up with laughter, Virat and Jassi most of all. Rahul was still half-hysterical at having taken the catch. Rohit was also laughing—peacefully—when he was tapped on the shoulder.

"Rohit bhaiya?"

It was Shubman's ultra-innocent voice, of which Rohit had just started to get suspicious of. But it was so innocent, he could never actually deem it suspicious.

"Yes?" said Rohit warily.

"Can I bowl an over, please?"

Rohit needed half a minute to process the request.

"Go back to your fielding position, Shubi," said Rohit.

"But Rohit bhaiya, I want to help by bowling just one over."

"See, Shubi," he said, trying to be patient. "Siraj is back and he can bowl. There's no need for anyone else to bowl, you see?"

"But I have been practicing so hard," said Shubman, wounded. "I wanted to try my skills in the real world."

Rohit was searching for a response to that when Shubman and Virat exchanged a look he did not like.

"And—and since we'll play the semi-final with just five bowlers, I think your other options should have some match time!" said Shubman in one breath.

Virat gave him a double thumbs up which he hastily put down when Rohit looked at him.

"He has a point," put in Jassi, voice shaking. "And Virat bhaiya even took a wicket, Rohit bhaiya..."

"Let Shubi have a bowl, Rohit," coaxed Jaddu.

"Let Shubi have a bowl, Rohit bhaiya," said Ishan, who had come up for the drinks break.

"Please, Rohit bhaiya," said Shubman, his demeanour so innocent that Rohit wanted to tear his hair out (his own). "Please, Rohit bhaiya."

Rohit bit his tongue and dropped the ball into Shubman's hand like it was burning coal.

"You guys can do whatever you want," he said, striding away. "Just stop eating my head."

"Oh," said SKY. "Great."

"What?" asked Kuldeep.

"He said we could do whatever we want," said SKY brightly, and banged Shubman on the back. "I'm next."

Virat roared with laughter.

"And I'm next," said Shreyas quickly.

Everyone looked at Rahul, who looked back warily.

"Rahuliya's the tenth then," said Virat cheerfully. "I'll keep wickets for an over. Oh, that way I get to keep wickets too! All in one match!"

Rahul, now thoroughly ashamed of his display of raw hysteria which Virat would certainly never let him forget, touched his keeping gloves against each other protectively. "I am not bowling and you are not keeping."

He followed Rohit and walked away.

"Captain and vice-captain," sighed Jaddu.

"Always the most boring duo on the field," agreed Virat, and then it irked him that those two were a duo.

__________________

Rohit held his tongue till SKY bowled.

"Rohit ko ball do!"

"Rohit ko ball do!"

"Umpire ko ball do!"

"Rohit ko ball do!"

"It seems like the crowd wants you to bowl, Rohit bhaiya," said Jassi demurely.

"The crowd also wants the umpire to bowl, Jass."

"We want—ROHIT!"

"We want—ROHIT!"

"Would you go first or would I, Rohit bhaiya?" asked Shreyas.

"Shreyas!" Rohit exploded. "GET. BACK. TO. FIELDING. WITHOUT A SINGLE WORD."

"What?" demanded Shreyas. "What?"

"I have had enough of you idiots for one day. Go back right now."

"You can't—" spluttered Shreyas. "You let them all bowl, you can't not allow me—"

"Oh, yes, I can, and I can also slap you in front of the national television—which I soon will if you don't go back—"

Shreyas' eyebrows drew together fearfully.

"All right, I'm going," he said. "I am going off the field."

"God, Shreyas, just go and field, will you?"

"I'm tired," said Shreyas, stubborn and sulky. "I batted a long time. Bring someone else on. Bring Shardul."

Rohit stared helplessly after Shreyas striding away.

"All right," he called. "If you can bowl, will your tiredness go away?"

"No," said Shreyas. "It doesn't work that way, Rohit bhaiya."

And he went off the field.

As Rohit summoned Shardul to the field, he was beyond the hair-tearing phase. Now he wanted to cry.

________________

After the match, Rahul had stepped on to the field to hunt for Siraj's precious childhood sipper-bottle, (which he still carried everywhere and which he couldn't find right now, and was howling nonstop about) when a tennis ball went whooshing an inch from his ear.

He looked around to find the source, and didn't have to search long—Shreyas was standing at the other end of the field, swinging his bat and sending tennis balls flying into the horizon.

"Hey," Rahul called.

"Don't come any closer," Shreyas shouted, in a tragic voice, "unless you want a tennis ball to break your nose."

"Thanks for the kind warning," Rahul muttered under his breath, dodged another ball, and raised his voice. "At this rate, you'll break someone's nose even if they don't come any closer."

"My soul can never be at peace again," declared Shreyas (bam!—another ball soared into the air). "I no longer care about broken noses."

Rahul made sure his reflexes were on high-alert and made his way across. Shreyas pretended he couldn't see him till Rahul's face was a foot from his.

Then he gave an unconvincing start.

"Oh, I didn't see you!"

"I realized that," said Rahul drily.

"Kindly get back," said Shreyas with utmost dignity. "You are in my swinging arc."

"Can't you stop swinging for a minute or two?" Rahul tried not to let his impatience show. "C'mon, Shreyas, everyone's celebrating in the dressing room. We have the semi-final in three days—today's the last cheerful night the team has in a long time—"

"And?"

"And you should join us."

"Absolutely not," said Shreyas in an obvious voice. "Let the bowlers of the match celebrate all they wish. All of them except you and I—oh, you did help in some of the wickets, keeper. That leaves only me who had no role in any of the wickets."

"But you and I scored the only centuries in the match," reasoned Rahul.

"I don't care about centuries!" shrieked Shreyas.

"No, you're right," said Rahul. "Of course we don't. Centuries are such commonplace things for us batsmen. It's bowling that's the real deal."

"Yes," grumpily.

"Rohit really should have let us bowl," said Rahul.

Shreyas' eyes narrowed. "I thought you said you didn't want to bowl."

"I wanted to," assured Rahul. "I was trying to play the reverse UNO card."

Shreyas thought for a while.

"You mean pretend you didn't want to bowl so Rohit bhaiya let you?"

"Exactly," said Rahul.

"That is smart," admitted Shreyas. "Even if it didn't work."

Rahul nodded gravely. "You know what, I think Rohit is overstressed."

Shreyas snorted. "He has no reason at all to be overstressed."

"You've been a captain in domestic and IPL, Yas," said Rahul. "You know how stressful it is just to attend the press meets and all."

Shreyas thought some more.

"Fine," he conceded. "He could be a bit overstressed."

"People under stress often end up doing injustice to others," said Rahul. "But as his brothers, I reckon we could make some allowances for him."

"Do you honestly intend to forgive him for letting everyone bowl but the two of us?" demanded Shreyas.

Rahul pretended to be in deep thought. "I think we'd better. Next time, it'll prick his conscience before venting out his stress on the two of us, you'll see."

Shreyas frowned in contemplation.

"That doesn't sound a bad idea, either."

Rahul took care not to smile even a little bit. "Hm. That's settled, then. There's the announcement of the fielding medal soon, as well, wonder what Dilip sir has come up with this time?"

"Writing the name in fireworks in the sky," cried Shreyas avidly.

"I'd tell him to keep that for the final," said Rahul.

Shreyas nodded. "That'd be more fitting, certainly."

Rahul gauged his expression. "So, let's go and join the others?"

"Not yet," said Shreyas.

"But you do think your soul can be at peace again...someday?" asked Rahul cautiously.

"Yes. Don't tell Rohit bhaiya, though. I don't want him to think I'm forgiving him too easily."

Rahul smiled painfully. "Deal."