Match 3 — vs PIS International
The collapse came quietly.
No reckless shots.
No wild swings.
Just disciplined bowling doing its work.
PIS International hit a hard length early, the ball stopping slightly off the pitch. Edges didn't fly—they dropped short. Mistimed shots found fielders placed exactly where they should be.
When Rudra walked in, the scoreboard said:
NITK: 56 / 4
The run rate was still manageable.
The pressure was not.
He took guard without looking around.
First rule on a collapsing pitch—don't fix what isn't broken.
The bowler released.
Rudra watched the ball closely.
Not just the line.
The seam.
It rotated cleanly, slightly angled toward off.
He let it go.
Dot ball.
No impatience.
Focus
Lv 06 (55 / 100 EXP) → (58 / 100 EXP)
Phase One — Consolidation
The next twenty balls were quiet.
Singles nudged into vacant pockets. Soft deflections past point. A checked drive rolled safely to long-off.
No boundaries.
No statements.
Just survival with intent.
Batting Timing
Lv 01 (58 / 100 EXP) → (64 / 100 EXP)
The field stayed tight.
PIS waited for the mistake.
It never came.
Rudra reached the end of his twentieth ball on 21 runs.
Balanced.
Breathing steady.
The system didn't interrupt.
It observed.
Phase Two — Calculated Attack
Then the seam wobbled.
Cross-seam.
A fraction late out of the hand.
Rudra saw it.
Not instinct.
Observation.
He stepped back and punched the ball through cover—not forced, just late enough.
Boundary.
Static Vision
Lv 01 (7 / 100 EXP) → (14 / 100 EXP)
The bowler adjusted.
Shorter length.
The seam tilted inward.
Rudra rolled his wrists, pulling along the ground, threading square leg.
Another boundary.
Now the field spread.
Now the pressure shifted.
Batting Timing
Lv 01 (64 / 100 EXP) → (73 / 100 EXP)
The last thirteen balls weren't reckless.
They were precise.
One over yielded twelve without risk.
Another leaked nine through placement alone.
The scoreboard moved fast enough to unsettle PIS, slow enough to stay safe.
Rudra finished on:
58 (33 balls)*
Not flashy.
Unbroken.
When the winning runs were scored, he remained at the striker's end, bat grounded, eyes down.
Applause followed him back.
This time, louder.
Someone said, "That's how you play pressure."
The umpire handed over the match sheet.
Man of the Match: Rudra — NITK
Batting Timing — Significant EXP Increase
Lv 01 (73 / 100 EXP) → (86 / 100 EXP)
Static Vision
Lv 01 → Refined perception logged
Emotional Control
Lv 05 (97 / 100 EXP) → (99 / 100 EXP)
Match-winning anchor.
No collapse after he arrived.
Record: 2–1.
Rudra sat down quietly, sipping water, legs stretched.
This wasn't dominance.
This was control.
And control, once learned, never left.