Date: December 2, 2008 Location: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.
For a middle-class family in 2008, flying was an event. People wore their best clothes. Neighbors came to say goodbye.
Sai stood at the departure gate wearing his new South Zone Blazer. It was Navy Blue with the South Zone emblem embroidered in gold on the pocket. Underneath, he wore the bright yellow training jersey.
Rao stood outside the glass barrier, waving frantically. He had taken a half-day leave from the office just to drop Sai. Sai waved back. I am going to Cuttack. To play the Inter-Zonal Nationals.
The Team:
Captain: Sundar (Tamil Nadu) - The Genius.
Vice-Captain: Vihan Reddy (Hyderabad) - The Prince.
Key Bowler: Unni (Kerala) - The Joker.
Batsman: Sai Krishna (Hyderabad) - The Wall.
On the Plane (SpiceJet)
It was Sai's first flight. He sat next to Vihan. Vihan was reading a magazine, bored. He had flown to Dubai for holidays. Sai was gripping the armrests as the plane took off. The G-force pushed him back.
"Relax, Turtle," Vihan smirked. "The plane won't fall. If it does, my dad will sue them."
Sai looked out the window as Hyderabad turned into a miniature circuit board. Two years ago, I was playing with a tennis ball in the parking lot. Now I am flying.
The air hostess served a small cup of lemonade and a sandwich. Sai ate it slowly. System Check: Carbs. Hydration.
"Don't eat the coleslaw," Vihan warned. "Gas."
Date: December 4, 2008 Location: Barabati Stadium, Cuttack (Odisha).
The National Championship (BCCI U-14 Tournament). Five Zones: North, South, East, West, Central. It was a round-robin format. The top two teams played the final.
The first match was the biggest test of all. South Zone vs. West Zone.
West Zone was essentially the Mumbai + Gujarat team. Mumbai cricket was a factory. They produced batsmen who scored "Daddy Hundreds" (big scores). They were ruthless, arrogant, and technically perfect.
The West Zone Star: Walking out to the toss was the West Zone Captain, Yashvardhan (Yash) Patil. He was a Mumbai prodigy. Short, stocky, with forearms like Popeye. Rumor was he had already scored a triple century in the Harris Shield (Mumbai School Tournament).
The Toss Yash Patil won the toss. "We will bat," he said in a thick Marathi accent. "Wicket looks flat. We will score 400."
Sundar (South Zone Captain) came back looking annoyed. "He is arrogant," Sundar muttered. "Let's bowl them out for 150."
The Massacre
Session 1: Unni (Kerala pacer) bowled his heart out. He swung the ball. But the Mumbai openers were immovable objects. They left the good balls. They smashed the bad balls. Score at Lunch: 110/0.
Session 2: Yash Patil walked in at one down. He didn't defend. He attacked. He played the Sweep Shot against spinners. He played the Cut Shot against pacers.
Sai was fielding at Mid-Wicket. He watched Yash bat. [OBSERVATION] Bat Speed: Very High. Footwork: Decisive. Weakness: None detected.
Yash Patil was playing a different sport. He was hitting the ball so hard that the fielders were scared to put their hands in the way.
Over 50: Yash reached his 150. He raised his bat. He didn't smile. He just adjusted his gloves and took guard again.
West Zone Final Score: 385/4 (90 Overs). It was a mountain.
Chapter 28: The Mumbai School vs. The Hyderabadi Wall
Date: December 5, 2008 Location: Barabati Stadium. Match Situation: South Zone 2nd Innings. (Follow-on Enforced).
South Zone had collapsed for 140 in the first innings. Yash Patil had enforced the follow-on. South Zone was batting again, still trailing by 245 runs.
Score: 30/2. Vihan Reddy was out (caught at slip). Sundar was out (LBW).
Sai walked in at Number 4. The West Zone fielders were chirping loudly in Hindi and Marathi. "Arey, another kid! One bouncer and he will go!" "Chalo boys, let's finish this and go to the hotel!"
The bowler was Kadam, a Mumbai fast bowler with a slingy action.
Ball 1: Kadam bowled a fast outswinger. Sai left it. The slip cordon clapped sarcastically. "Well left, Dravid!"
Ball 2: Kadam bowled straight. Sai defended. [CLICK]. Solid.
The Mumbai players stopped laughing. They knew that sound. That was the sound of a "Khadoos" player.
The Battle of Attrition
Sai wasn't trying to win the match. Winning was impossible. He was trying to save the match. Or at least, save dignity.
He batted for one hour. Then two. He scored 15 runs in 80 balls.
Yash Patil (West Zone Captain) got bored at slip. He walked up to the bowler. "Bowl at his head. He is small. He can't hook."
The Bodyline Plan
Kadam came around the wicket. He aimed for Sai's ribcage.
Ball 1: Short ball into the body. Sai hopped and dropped it near his feet. No run.
Ball 2: Bouncer. It didn't bounce as high as expected (Cuttack pitch is low bounce). It hit Sai on the shoulder. Thud. Sai didn't rub it.
Ball 3: Another bouncer. This one hit the grill of the Forma helmet. CLANG.
The Umpire walked in. "One for the over."
Yash Patil walked up to Sai. "Does it hurt, kid? Just edge it and go. Why suffer?"
Sai looked up through his grill. "I like batting, Bhaiya."
Yash blinked. It was the simplest, most annoying answer possible.
The Mistake
Sai batted for 4 hours. He reached 45. He was tired. The previous months of non-stop cricket were catching up.
The spinner came on. He tossed a ball up, wide outside off. It was a "trap" ball. A loose ball meant to induce a drive.
Sai's eyes lit up. Cover Drive. He stepped out. But his legs were heavy. He didn't get to the pitch of the ball. He reached for it.
Turn. The ball spun past his bat. The West Zone keeper whipped the bails off.
"HOWZAT!"
Sai was stumped. He stood there for a second, devastated. He had survived the fast bowlers for 4 hours, only to get out to a lapse in concentration against spin.
South Zone All Out for 180. West Zone Won by an Innings and 65 runs.
The Aftermath
Sai walked back to the pavilion, dragging his bat. He felt like he had failed. He hadn't saved the match.
But as he climbed the stairs, someone blocked his path. It was Yash Patil.
The Mumbai captain was holding a bottle of Gatorade. "Oye, Hyderabad," Yash said.
Sai stopped. "Yes?"
"You have a good defense. Like a Mumbai player," Yash said. It was the highest compliment a Mumbaikar could give. "But..." Yash added, pointing to Sai's arms. "You have no power. If you want to play for India, you need to punish the bad ball. Today, I bowled loose balls, you just blocked them. You let me breathe."
Sai nodded. It was true. He could survive, but he couldn't dominate. Yash Patil had scored 150 because he destroyed the bad balls. Sai scored 45 because he just blocked them.
"Go to the gym," Yash advised, patting Sai's shoulder hard. "Eat chicken. Get strong."
Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Sai's Home, Hyderabad. Return from Tournament.
Sai was back in his room. The West Zone loss haunted him. The image of Yash Patil smashing bowlers for fun was stuck in his head.
He looked at his reflection. He was growing taller (now 4'10"), but he was still skinny. The boiled chicken helped, but it wasn't enough.
He opened his diary. He started writing a new plan for 2009.
MISSION 2009: PROJECT POWER
Join a Gym. (Need to convince Dad. Age 11 is young, but athletes start early).
Heavy Bat Training. (Like Sachin used to practice with a wet tennis ball).
Target: U-14 get selected again.
Rao walked into the room. He held a newspaper clipping. "Sai, look. Your name is in Eenadu."
Sai looked. A small box in the sports page.
"Hyderabad boy V. Sai Krishna shows grit in Cuttack." *
"Nice, Nanna," Sai said, putting it aside. "Nanna, I need to join a gym."
Rao frowned. "Gym? At 11? You will stop growing height!" (A common Indian myth which even i thought was true till class X).
"That is a myth, Nanna. Sachin started training at 12. If I don't build muscle, the Mumbai bowlers will break my bones next year."
Rao looked at the newspaper clipping again. 'Grit' was good. But 'Power' was better. "I will talk to Reddy Sir. If he says yes, we will see."