The morning sun rose over the practice nets, casting long shadows across the ground. The UP squad had two days before their next fixture, and the opponent was formidable—Tamil Nadu, a team stacked with experienced batters who thrived against spin.
Coach Bhatia's words echoed in the players' minds: "This match will test our control. They punish loose balls. We cannot afford lapses."
For Nikhil Srivatam, the challenge wasn't Tamil Nadu. It was himself.
The Training Session
The squad split into groups. Pacers worked on yorkers and slower balls. Batters drilled against spin. Fielders practiced boundary saves.
Nikhil walked to the nets with Siddharth Rao, his mentor. He carried not just the ball, but the weight of expectation. His debut had been praised, but critics had already asked: "Can he handle pressure, or will he crumble?"
He wanted answers—not from them, but from himself.
Working on Bowling
Siddharth set up cones on a good length. "Your flight is good. But against Tamil Nadu, they'll wait for the loose one. You need consistency."
Nikhil nodded. He bowled six deliveries.
First ball: too full.
Second: short, pulled easily.
Third: perfect length, dipping late.
Fourth: wide outside off.
Fifth: tighter, defended.
Sixth: looped, beaten.
Siddharth raised an eyebrow. "See? Three good, three loose. That's not enough."
Nikhil breathed deeply. He reset. He bowled another set. This time, five out of six landed on target.
"Better," Siddharth said. "Now add variation. Don't just survive. Outsmart."
Overcoming Himself
Nikhil worked on his arm speed, disguising the quicker one. He practiced drifting the ball into the pads, then pulling it away. He bowled with his eyes closed between deliveries, visualizing the seam, the dip, the batter's misjudgment.
Every mistake was noted. Every correction was deliberate.
He wasn't competing with Tamil Nadu yet. He was competing with his own inconsistency.
The Team's Observation
From the sidelines, Mayank Rawat watched. "Kid's sweating harder than anyone."
Ravi Teja added, "He knows the next match isn't about proving to us. It's about proving to himself."
Coach Bhatia nodded. "That's how you grow. Not by chasing headlines, but by fixing flaws."
The Fielding Drill
Later, the squad moved to fielding practice. Nikhil sprinted across the boundary, diving, sliding, cutting angles. He repeated the rocket-like runs that had stunned Punjab, but this time he pushed harder, shaving seconds off his reaction.
"Again," he muttered after each save. "Faster. Cleaner."
His teammates laughed, but they admired the obsession.
The Reflection
At the end of the session, Nikhil sat alone on the grass, sweat dripping, notebook open. He wrote:
"Opponent is strong. But the real opponent is me. Loose balls. Missed lengths. Hesitation. Overcome myself, and I overcome them."
He closed the book.
Tamil Nadu was waiting. But Nikhil knew the battle had already begun—inside him.