The victory in his first district match lingered in Ajay's mind long after the applause faded. The sharp crack of the bat, the sting of the ball in his palm from that diving stop, the rush of sprinting between wickets—it all replayed in vivid detail. But with the joy of the win came another reality.
Cricket might be his passion, his mission even, but his family still valued education above all else. His father had said it just the other night:
"Cricket is fine, beta, but studies are what keep a man standing when the pitch is empty and the crowd is gone."
A New Daily Schedule
Ajay knew he couldn't afford to let one world swallow the other. He drew up a schedule in his head and then committed it to paper.
5:30 AM – Wake up, freshen up, and go for a morning jog of 4–5 kilometers.
6:30 AM – Fitness drills: push-ups, planks, skipping rope, and sprints.
7:30 AM – Breakfast with the family.
8:30 AM to 2:00 PM – School hours.
2:30 PM to 3:30 PM – Lunch and light rest.
4:00 PM to 7:00 PM – Cricket nets and fielding practice.
7:30 PM to 9:00 PM – Study sessions.
9:30 PM – Light reading, mental visualization of cricket drills.
10:00 PM – Sleep.
It was rigid, almost military in precision, but Ajay knew the cost of lax discipline. In his previous life, laziness had been his slow poison—sleeping late, skipping practice for meaningless social gatherings, letting one cheat meal become three. That wouldn't happen again.
School Life with a Cricketer's Mindset
Back in class, his friends were still teasing him about his seriousness. "Oye, Sharma ji! Already acting like Tendulkar? Don't forget us when you get famous," joked Prateek from the next bench.
Ajay smiled politely but didn't take the bait. Instead, he opened his physics textbook and began solving problems.
His past-life memories gave him an edge here. While the syllabus was familiar, his matured mind processed concepts faster. Equations that once took him half an hour to understand now clicked in minutes. His hand wrote answers quickly, leaving his classmates looking over in curiosity.
One of his teachers, Mrs. Mehra, stopped by his desk during an assignment check. "Good work, Ajay. Looks like cricket hasn't made you forget your studies."
"Never will, Ma'am," he said truthfully.
Evening Grind
The afternoons were where his worlds collided.
At the ground, he'd face 60–70 balls in the nets, working on everything from flick shots to drives to improvised shots against bouncers. After batting, he'd switch to fielding—catching high balls under the setting sun, sliding stops along the boundary rope, practicing quick pickups and throws.
The system was relentless in its feedback.
Batting – 568/10,000
Fielding – 69/100
Fitness – 45/100
Even on days when his body ached from school sports periods, he pushed himself to complete his cricket drills. And on nights when he had exams, he simply shifted his net practice earlier to make room for revision.
The Temptation of Old Habits
It wasn't always easy. One Friday, his friends invited him to a late-night street food hangout. Piping hot samosas, jalebis dripping in syrup, and kulhad chai were hard to resist. In his old life, he would have been there in a heartbeat.
This time, he shook his head. "Can't. Early morning match tomorrow."
The chorus of "Come on, yaar!" followed him as he walked away. But the next morning, running laps in the cool dawn air with a light stomach and clear mind, he felt the reward.
Mental Focus: The Hidden Advantage
The more he stuck to his routine, the more he realized something important—the system wasn't just making him physically better. It was sharpening his mind.
During math classes, he could focus entirely without his thoughts drifting. While reading history, he could recall exact dates and sequences with ease.
It hit him one night as he was revising for a science test: the improved mental clarity from the Fitness and Batting Vision upgrades was helping him process academic work faster.
In other words, training for cricket was making him a better student too.
Balancing Expectations
His parents began to notice. His father, who had initially worried cricket would derail his studies, started to relax. "If you can keep these grades up," he said one evening, "I won't stand in your way for cricket."
That sentence was more valuable to Ajay than any trophy. It meant his family was fully behind him now—no more tug-of-war between education and sport.
A Small Test of Discipline
Midway through the school term, an inter-school cricket tournament was announced. Ajay was naturally the first pick for the team, but the dates clashed with two important exams.
In his old life, he might have chosen the matches, banking on last-minute studying. Now, he made a compromise. He'd play, but only after setting a strict pre-match study schedule for himself.
He revised chapters during lunch breaks, solved past papers in the evenings, and even studied during bus rides to matches.
When the exams came, he aced them. And in the tournament, he scored a quick 61 in the semifinals, helping his school reach the finals for the first time in years.
Late-Night Reflection
Lying in bed after that final, Ajay thought about the shift in his life. In the past, he had let one world suffer for the sake of the other. Now, he was feeding both equally.
The scoreboard in his mind reflected that balance:
Batting – 612/10,000
Fielding – 74/100
Fitness – 51/100
He was no longer just a boy chasing cricket dreams. He was a young man building the foundation for something greater.