Location: National Cricket Academy (NCA), Bangalore.
The NCA nets were legendary. There were the outdoor turf nets, lush and green, and then there were the Indoor Nets. The players called the indoor facility "The Tomb." It was an enclosed concrete tunnel with artificial turf. The acoustics were terrifying. When a fast bowler hit the deck, the sound echoed like a gunshot. The ball skidded off the plastic turf faster than on grass, reducing reaction time by a precious fraction of a second.
The Hierarchy Coach Bharath Arun stood with his arms crossed. He was a man of few words but intense scrutiny. "Batting Order for Net 1," Arun announced. "1. Unmukt. 2. Aparajith. 3. Vihari. 4. Sai Krishna."
Net 1 was the "Pace Battery" net. The bowlers waiting there were:
Sandeep Sharma (Punjab) - The Swing King. Not express pace (125-130kph), but he could hoop the ball around corners.
Rush Kalaria (Gujarat) - Left-arm Fast Medium.
Kamal Passi (Punjab) - The quickest of the lot (135kph+).
The Spectator Mode
Sai stood outside the net, wearing his helmet. He watched Unmukt Chand bat. Unmukt was flashy. He had a high backlift and loved to slash hard. Sandeep Sharma ran in. He bowled a beautiful outswinger. Unmukt threw his hands at it. Miss. Next ball, inswinger. Unmukt flicked it casually through mid-wicket. Thwack. "Shot, skipper!" the bowlers appreciated.
Unmukt batted for 15 minutes, dominating the bad balls and looking elegant. Then it was Hanuma Vihari's turn. Vihari was solid, compact. He played straight.
Sai's Turn
"Next! The new kid!" Coach Arun yelled.
Sai walked in. He was 15 years old, turning 16 in two months. He was 5'7", fit, but compared to the broad-shouldered Punjab bowlers, he looked light.
Sandeep Sharma stood at the top of his mark. He grinned. "Hyderabad, right? I heard you like to block. Let's see you block this."
Ball 1: Sandeep ran in. His action was smooth, rhythmic. He released the ball. To the naked eye, it looked like it was angling into the pads. Sai planted his front foot to defend. Late Swing. The ball shaped away at the last millisecond. [DISSONANCE] Sai's bat came down straight, but the ball kissed the outside edge. Nick. It flew to where first slip would be.
"One wicket!" Sandeep laughed. "Welcome to the NCA."
Sai stepped back. He took a deep breath. Analysis: The swing here is exaggerated. The artificial turf grips the seam. He needed to watch the Seam Position, not just the hand.
Ball 2: Sandeep ran in again. Sai focused on the ball in the air. Seam pointing towards Fine Leg. -> Inswinger. The ball came in sharply. Sai didn't plant his foot too early. He waited. [CLICK] He played it with the full face of the bat, soft hands. The ball dropped dead at his toes.
"Better," Sandeep muttered.
The Assault
Then Kamal Passi took the ball. Kamal was raw pace. He didn't care about swing. He wanted to hurt the batsman.
Ball 3: Short ball. 135kph. In the indoor net, the echo made it sound faster. It skidded off the plastic grass. Sai saw it late. He tried to sway. The ball hit his chest guard. THUD.
"Wake up!" Kamal yelled.
Sai rubbed his chest. The "System" flashed red. Reaction Time: Slow. Pace Adaptation: Incomplete. He was used to U-16 speeds (120-125kph). This was a jump of 10-15kph. It felt like a different sport.
The Adaptation
For the next 20 minutes, Sai struggled. He was beaten for pace, beaten for swing. He looked ugly. Unmukt Chand whispered to Vihari, "He's struggling. U-16 to U-19 jump is too big for him."
Vihari shook his head. "Wait. Watch his head."
By minute 25, something changed. Sai stopped trying to hit the ball. He went into his "Shell." He shortened his backlift. He widened his stance. He started leaving balls that were even an inch outside off stump.
Ball 45: Sandeep bowled a perfect outswinger. Sai covered the line and shouldered arms. Whoosh.
Ball 46: Kamal bowled a bouncer. Sai ducked smoothly.
Ball 47: Rush Kalaria bowled a half-volley. Sai didn't smash it. He punched it. Straight Drive. [RESONANCE] The ball hit the net behind the bowler with a crisp sound.
Coach Bharath Arun nodded. "He absorbs data," Arun noted to his assistant. "First 20 balls, he looked like a novice. Next 20 balls, he looked like a pro. He calibrates fast."