Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
July 6, 2017 – Day 1, 1st Test
India tour of West Indies – Test Series, Match 1 of 3
9:13 AM – Antigua Humidity
The humidity clung to his skin like a second shirt.
Ishaan Verma walked through the narrow tunnel into the sunshine, white flannels freshly pressed, bat tucked under his arm. The ground ahead of him shimmered in morning heat—silent, unspectacular, and nearly empty. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, majestic in name, felt like a ghost town.
The few hundred fans seated across three stands stirred faintly. A toddler clapped plastic bats. A vendor yelled half-heartedly about cold drinks. The distant Atlantic glistened beyond the eastern embankment.
But there were no giant billboards with his face. No camera shutters going wild. No thunderous chants.
Just grass. Sun. Sweat. And a pitch waiting for answers.
"No headlines today," Ishaan thought. "Just a bat. And maybe a whisper of belief."
10:30 AM – Toss
Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first.
The surface looked slow and dry—a patchy brown corridor with mild cracks and minimal bounce. Ideal for batting, but only if you earned it.
Kohli patted Ishaan's back before heading to the dressing room.
Kohli (quietly): "You're at three today. Go take it."
Ishaan nodded. No surprise in his eyes. Just a soft breath.
"Time to wear the silence again."
🟦 11:00 AM – India's Innings Begins
The Test series had begun. Ishaan sat beside the kit bags in full gear, watching Rahul and Dhawan walk out. The pitch looked like a tired sleeping bag—creased and dry. The air was thick, bordering oppressive.
Crowd buzz? Minimal.
Media focus? Scattered.
Personal stakes? Maximum.
🏏 Score: India 8/1 — Over 3.3
A flick of leather.
A dying edge.
Dhawan gone—caught behind, chasing wide.
Shai Hope raised his gloves. The slip cordon huddled.
The Indian balcony stirred. Ishaan stood up, closed his journal, and picked up his bat.
✍️ Inner Monologue – The First Walk Since the Fall
"One hundred and nineteen not out in a final—and the world called me a passenger. A choker. A milestone man."
"This time, there's no final. Just the first session of a quiet series."
"Perfect."
He walked out with no dramatic background music. Just the hollow sound of studs on concrete. The Antigua sun pressed down like judgement.
As he crossed the boundary rope, he tapped the bat once on the turf and whispered:
"I finish this time. And I begin alone."
🎤 Live Commentary: Harsha Bhogle
"Ishaan Verma returns to Test cricket, and it feels almost poetic. No flashy crowds, no pink ball this time. Just whites, patience, and the slow art of rebuilding."
Ishaan Verma's Innings
🟨 Score: India 8/1 | Over 4.1 — Gabriel to Verma
Ball: Short of length, angling in at off.
Shot: Ishaan shoulders arms. Leaves. Late.
Stump Mic (Gabriel):
"Didn't even offer, huh?"
No reply. Ishaan tapped the crease again. Eyes steady.
Over 4.2 – Gabriel to Verma
Ball: Back of a length. Outside off.
Shot: Another leave. Textbook. Soft hands, head still.
Inner Monologue:
"I'm not chasing the ball today. I'm inviting it."
Over 6.4 – Holder to Verma
Ball: Fuller on middle.
Shot: Defensive push down the ground.
Crowd Reaction: Polite applause—finally, a run.
Score: India 9/1 | Verma 1(10)
Over 11 – The Quiet Hour
By the 11th over, Ishaan had faced 29 balls for 4 runs. His shirt had turned visibly damp. The commentators whispered rather than shouted.
Simon Doull (commentary):
"This is not the Ishaan from the IPL. This is a technician. A monk in flannels."
And it was true.
He didn't chase wide balls. Didn't flinch at short ones. He played everything late. On a wicket that punished arrogance, Ishaan wore modesty like armor.
12:41 PM — The First Boundary
Over 22.3 — Chase to Verma
Ball: Overpitched, middle and off.
Shot: Ishaan lunged forward and drove with soft wrists. The ball slid past mid-off.
FOUR.
Stump Mic (Kohli from balcony):
"There we go!"
Crowd Reaction: Sparse but audible applause. A couple of Indian flags waved.
🕛 LUNCH – Score: India 72/1 | Verma 23*(67)
He took off his helmet slowly in the dressing room. Kohli handed him a bottle of Gatorade.
Kohli: "This is the version of you I always wanted. No noise. No fire. Just burn."
Ishaan just nodded.
Inside his locker was a folded page—his father's last note. He didn't open it. But he touched it.
2nd Session – The Middle Overs
Over 35.1 – Bishoo to Verma
Ball: Flighted. On off.
Shot: Gentle forward defence. Dead bat.
Commentary (Sunil Gavaskar):
"He's treating this like a hundred-dollar note. Folding it, inspecting it, keeping it safe."
Over 39.2 – Bishoo to Verma
Ball: Short, wide.
Shot: Rock back—cut behind point. Runs like a man with no baggage.
FOUR.
4:00 PM – The Long Haul
The humidity had settled into his skin. His gloves were soaked. His shirt was no longer white—it was a battlefield of salt.
Yet Ishaan remained.
Gabriel returned for a second spell. He banged one in short.
Over 52.4 – Gabriel to Verma
Ball: Short, rising at chest.
Shot: Ishaan swayed. Didn't hook. Didn't flinch. Just let it pass.
Stump Mic (Gabriel):
"You scared of the short ball now?"
No reply. He smiled faintly.
"Not scared. Just selective."
STUMPS — Day 1
India: 179/2 (90 overs)
Ishaan Verma: 43(122)*
Pujara: 67(198)*
As the players walked off under the fading sun, Ishaan walked slower than most. Not from fatigue—but from intention.
📓 Night — Journal Entry
In the hotel room, his back against the wall, ceiling fan spinning lazily, he opened his notebook.
"They didn't cheer today. They didn't chant. But I stayed. I held. I endured."
"This isn't silence. This is control."
Final Scene – Phone Buzz
A message blinked on his screen.
Emma Watson
"You always play the long game, don't you?"
"Glad to see you back."
He smiled.
Put the phone away.
And turned off the lights.