Chapter 31: The Semi-final Day Match [4]
The "taps" continued.
The scoreboard, which had been frozen on 4/1 for what felt like an eternity, had finally thawed. It was now a slow, agonizing crawl.
11/1.
12/1.
14/1.
Each run was a Leg Glance, a soft click of the bat, a jogged single. Each run was a papercut, bleeding the patience from the Spring Dale champions.
On the sideline, Raghav watched Rohan Sharma. The champion captain was a coiled spring of frustration.
He stalked behind the stumps, his gloves restlessly slapping his thighs. He had been forced to move a fielder from the Off-Side to Deep Square Leg, a concession that visibly infuriated him..
His premier fast bowler, Ashu, was finishing his over. He was breathing heavily, his anger spent, replaced by a sullen exhaustion.
He had thrown everything at Vikram—Bouncers, Yorkers, raw pace—and Vikram, though rattled, was still standing there. Ashu's last ball was a tired, Full-Length delivery on the stumps.
