The bus rolled into the ground just after sunrise, its tyres crunching softly over gravel that still held the night's chill. No music played inside. No laughter broke the quiet. Kit bags were lifted and straps tightened with the practiced calm of boys who already understood this was not a regular match day.
The KSCA auxiliary ground looked larger in the early light. Turf strips lay under their covers, untouched and patient, as if waiting to judge rather than host. Rudra stepped off the bus last, taking in the stillness without lingering on it. For him, the red-ball tournament had begun long before the toss—before breakfast, before nerves could dress themselves as excitement, before effort had a chance to pretend it was confidence.
Coach Raghav did not gather them in a circle. He didn't need to. His voice carried evenly across the space. Pads on in twenty minutes. Warm-ups mattered today. No one asked who would play first. Everyone already knew.
Match 1 — Group B
Karnataka State Cricket Academy vs FDS Sports Academy (Maharashtra)
35 Overs | Red Ball | Fresh Turf with Light Grass
Maharashtra won the toss and chose to bat, a decision that drew no reaction from the KSCA camp. Teams that trusted their technique preferred batting first on honest wickets, and this one looked honest. The Maharashtra openers walked out with relaxed shoulders and easy strides, the kind that came from years of being told they were ahead of their age group.
Rudra took his position at point, setting himself neither too deep nor too attacking, balanced enough to move either way. The first over passed quietly with disciplined leaves, a forward defensive block, and a single guided softly behind square. From the commentary box, a measured voice carried across the ground, noting that early signs suggested proper red-ball intent from Maharashtra, with no rush and a clear plan to build patiently.
There was no applause. Good cricket rarely asked for it.
By the fourth over, Rudra noticed the striker wasn't probing or experimenting. He was settling in, setting his base, preparing to stay for time. This was not school cricket. This was accumulation with purpose. Rudra felt the familiar internal tightening that came before long vigilance. This phase would not reward effort; it would reward awareness.
The break in rhythm came quietly in the sixth over. A half-push toward point punished hesitation without looking dangerous. Rudra moved early, one clean step forward, weight already low. He gathered smoothly and turned in the same motion, releasing a flat, fast throw that travelled chest-high to the keeper. The non-striker hesitated for half a second. That was enough. The bails came off cleanly, and the umpire's finger went up.
From the commentary box:
"That's brilliant awareness! What a piece of fielding under pressure. Rudra Rao Sharma with a direct hit that changes the tone early."
The commentary responded immediately, praising the awareness and calling it a brilliant piece of fielding under pressure, noting how Rudra Rao Sharma's direct hit had changed the tone early. Rudra did not celebrate. He glanced once at the pitch and walked back to his position. The dismissed opener looked at the umpire, then at the ground, and left without protest. Coach Raghav did not react, but his pen made a single, deliberate mark.
The next batter arrived with intent. His first scoring shot was a confident drive through cover, followed soon after by a controlled pull rolled along the grass for four. The crowd stirred briefly, and the commentator acknowledged the positive response from Maharashtra, pointing out that they were not retreating after the setback.
The commentator responded.
"That's a good response from Maharashtra. Positive batting, no retreat after the setback."
Maharashtra : 52 /1 (12)
By the twelfth over, Maharashtra had moved to 52 for 1. They were neither dominant nor vulnerable, simply steady. Rudra stayed alert. Fielding, he had learned, was not about constant motion but about being ready before the ball arrived.
Between overs, Sanjay Menon's voice reached him calmly.
"Two steps deeper, Rudra. Same angle."
Between overs, Sanjay Menon's calm instruction reached him. Two steps deeper, same angle. Rudra adjusted immediately. No discussion followed. The very next ball was cut hard off the back foot straight at him. He stopped it cleanly, bending low and cushioning the ball with soft hands, saving two runs without drama.
From the box:
"Good field placement and even better execution. That's discipline in the ring."
The commentary noted the discipline in the ring and the value of such denials. The batter exhaled in irritation. Small refusals mattered.
Maharashtra : 71/1 (18)
At drinks, Maharashtra stood at 71 for 1. The partnership had stabilized. They weren't attacking recklessly, but they weren't retreating either.
Coach Raghav finally spoke
"They're comfortable," he said evenly. "That's not a crime."
Observing evenly that comfort was not a crime. His eyes passed over the group before resting briefly on Rudra as he added
"the aim was not to break them but to make them work for everything."
Rudra nodded. Breaking opponents was loud and obvious. Making them work was quieter and far more exhausting.
After drinks, as the bowlers rotated, Coach Raghav glanced down the line and said casually,
"Rudra. You take the over after next."
Rudra paused for a fraction of a second.
Bowling.
Bowling was not being offered as filler or experiment; it was a deliberate choice. The earlier instruction returned with weight. A good batter was also a good bowler.
Rudra walked to the top of his mark slowly, rolling the red ball in his palm. It felt heavier than the white ball, less forgiving and more honest.
From the commentary box, curiosity crept in.
"Interesting move here. Rudra Rao Sharma coming on to bowl. Known more for his batting and fielding at school level—let's see what he brings with the red ball."
Rudra took a breath, then another. He was not thinking about wickets. He was thinking about line, length, and repetition. The batter settled into his stance. The field held its shape. The pitch waited.
As Rudra began his run-up, his arm coming over for the first time in the tournament, something aligned quietly inside him.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But unmistakably.
The system noticed.
And so did Coach Raghav.
The ball left his hand—
And the moment froze there, suspended between expectation and outcome.
The match had begun to ask new questions.
And Rudra was about to answer them.