Date: April 16, 2014 Location: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Event: IPL Match 1 - SRH vs. Rajasthan Royals.
The IPL had moved to the desert due to the Indian elections. The heat in Abu Dhabi was dry and scorching. Sai sat in the dugout, wearing the orange vest of the Substitute.
He wasn't in the Playing XI. The team balance was tricky. Overseas: Warner, Finch, Sammy (Captain), Steyn. Indian Pacers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma. Spinners: Amit Mishra, Karn Sharma.
There was no place for the 17-year-old rookie yet. The management preferred the experience of Venugopal Rao and KL Rahul in the middle order. Sai watched SRH lose. He carried drinks. He felt the sting of invisibility.
The Opportunity
Date: April 30, 2014 Location: Dubai International Stadium. Event: SRH vs. Mumbai Indians.
SRH was struggling. Their middle order was brittle, and they lacked a sixth bowling option. Captain Shikhar Dhawan (who led early season) looked at the pitch. It had grass. "We need someone who can bat at 5 and bowl 3-4 overs of seam," Dhawan said in the team meeting.
Tom Moody pointed at Sai. "The kid is ready. He hits the deck hard."
Sai's heart did a somersault. "You are in," Moody said. "You replace Venugopal. Show us that 4.5 Crore value."
The Debut: Batting Failure
Toss: Mumbai Indians won and elected to Bowl. SRH started poorly. Warner and Finch fell early to Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga. Score: 60/3 in 9 overs.
Sai walked in at Number 5. The crowd in Dubai buzzed. "That's the 4.5 Crore boy!" He faced Harbhajan Singh.
Ball 1: Sai defended a doosra.
Ball 2: He tried to rotate strike, but the fielder at cover (Rohit Sharma) was electric. Dot.
Sai felt the pressure. The price tag sat on his shoulders like a lead weight. He scored a scratchy 12 runs off 15 balls. He got out trying to force a shot against Corey Anderson (MI's left-arm pacer). Caught at mid-off. It was a "nervous rookie" innings.
SRH crawled to 135/8. A below-par score.
The Bowling Test: Men vs. Boys
Defending 135 required miracles. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Dale Steyn opened the bowling. They kept it tight. Mumbai was 40/2 in 6 overs. Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu were at the crease.
Shikhar Dhawan threw the ball to Sai. "Come on, Golden Arm. Bowl tight. Stump to stump."
Sai took the ball. This was his chance to redeem his batting failure. He marked his run-up. He looked at the batsman. Rohit Sharma. The Hitman.
Over 7: Sai ran in. [SYSTEM MODE: MECHANICS] Target: Top of Off. Speed: Max Effort.
Ball 1: Sai hit the deck. 134 kph. Good pace for a teenager. The ball nipped back slightly. Rohit defended it from the crease. "Nice pace!" Dhawan shouted from slip.
Ball 2: Sai got confident. He tried his Wobble Seam. He landed it on a length. Rohit Sharma saw it early. He didn't defend. He leaned forward and caressed it through covers. It wasn't a hit; it was a brush stroke. FOUR.
Sai blinked. That was a good ball. System Analysis: Pitch Map Perfect. Result: Boundary. Conclusion: Class Difference.
Ball 3: Sai tried a bouncer. 136 kph. Rohit swiveled. Pull Shot. It went into the top tier. SIX.
Rohit Sharma didn't just hit the ball; he insulted the bowler with his timing. Sai felt small.
The Comeback
Sai conceded 14 runs in his first over. Dhawan walked up to him. "Don't bowl length to Rohit. He eats length for breakfast. Bowl fuller or go wide."
Over 11: Sai came back. Ambati Rayudu was on strike. Rayudu was aggressive. He stepped out to attack the rookie.
Sai saw him coming. [SYSTEM ADAPTATION] Target moved. Adjustment: Cross-seam cutter into the body.
Sai dragged the length back and rolled his fingers. 125 kph. Rayudu was through the shot early. The ball hit the splice (handle) of the bat. It looped up... Straight to David Warner at Mid-Off.
WICKET! A. Rayudu c Warner b Sai Krishna 18.
Sai roared. He pumped his fist. First IPL Wicket. Warner ran over and high-fived him. "Good comeback, mate!"
The Pollard Nightmare
But cricket is cruel. Rayudu walked off. Kieron Pollard walked in. Pollard was 6'5". He looked like a giant next to Sai.
Over 15: Sai was bowling his 3rd over. He tried to bowl a yorker to Pollard. He missed by three inches. Low Full Toss.
Pollard didn't use technique. He used brute force. He swung his massive bat like a golf club. [DISSONANCE - ACOUSTIC] The sound was terrifying. The ball flew over Long-On. It went out of the stadium. 105 Meters.
SIX.
Pollard chewed his gum and stared at Sai. It was a clear message: You are a boy. I am a man.
Sai finished with figures of: 3-0-35-1. Expensive. But he got a wicket.
Mumbai chased the target easily. SRH Lost by 5 wickets.
The Fallout
In the hotel room, Sai iced his shoulder. His phone buzzed with notifications. Twitter was brutal.
"SRH bought a 4.5 Cr run machine for the opposition." "He bowls 130kph pie chuckers. Pollard sent him to Mars." "One lucky wicket doesn't justify 4.5 Crores."
Sai looked at the stats. Batting: 12 runs. Bowling: 1/35. Net Impact: Negative.
Dale Steyn walked past Sai's room. The door was open. Steyn saw the kid staring at his phone. Steyn stepped in. "Reading the hate?" Steyn asked.
Sai jumped up. "No... just checking messages."
"Liar," Steyn sat on the edge of the bed. "Pollard hits me for six too. Rohit hits everyone for four. You took a wicket in your first game. You bowled 136 kph. That's good."
"It wasn't good enough, Sir. We lost."
"We lost because we scored 135," Steyn said bluntly. "Your bowling was fine. Your batting... you looked scared. You played for the price tag, not the ball."
Steyn stood up. "The UAE leg is over. We are going home to Hyderabad. The pitch there has bounce. It will suit your bowling. Just... stop reading that garbage on your phone."
Sai turned off his phone. He looked at his arm. Pollard hit me because I missed my length. The System failed because I panicked. Next time, I won't panic.
The team flew back to India. The Home Leg was beginning. And Hyderabad was waiting for its 4.5 Crore son.