The initial tests were easy enough for Abhay.
With the training he had undergone over the past few years, along with his experience and retained knowledge his basics were solid, his technique clean. Since he had registered himself as an all-rounder, he was required to go through three evaluations: batting, bowling, and fielding.
Batting came first.
He was led into one of the nets and handed a bat. Two Under-12 bowlers were assigned to him, one pacer and one spinner. Three balls each. Simple.
Abhay took his stance as a right handed batsman. The pacer took his mark and ran in.
First ball. A good length delivery, just outside off.
Abhay moved his front foot forward instinctively, brought the bat down straight, and blocked it cleanly with soft hands and dead bat. The ball dropped harmlessly near his feet.
Nothing flashy, just correct.
The pacer nodded to himself and ran in again.
Second ball. Slightly fuller this time.
Abhay stepped into the shot, head still, elbow high. The bat came down smoothly and met the ball under his eyes. A crisp front-foot drive rolled along the ground, threading the gap between the cones set up as fielders.
The sound off the bat was clean.
The coach watching from the side made a small note.
Third ball. Shorter. Not bouncer-short, but enough.
Abhay rocked back, transferred his weight effortlessly, and pulled. Not hard, just controlled. The ball thudded into the side netting at waist height.
That was that.
The pacer stepped aside, and the spinner took his place.
A right-arm off-spinner, tossing the ball up with a bit of loop.
First ball. On a good length, turning in.
Abhay read it early, went on the front foot, and smothered the spin with a solid block. Bat close to pad. No gap.
Second ball. Slightly fuller, inviting.
Abhay didn't overthink it. He leaned forward and drove through the line, letting the ball spin into the bat. It went straight down the pitch, controlled and precise.
The spinner adjusted his grip for the last delivery.
Third ball. A little shorter. A little slower.
Abhay waited.
As the ball sat up, he stepped out just enough to get to the pitch and swung through cleanly. Not wild or forced. The bat followed through high as the ball sailed into the top of the netting.
A six. Inside a net, but still unmistakable.
Abhay relaxed, resting the bat on his shoulder as he looked toward the coach. No celebration beyond a small, easy smile.
Just another set of balls but the batting test was done.
Pradyuman the under-12 coach stood besides Rajkumar and spoke, "Good consistency, he played three same shots to two different bowlers, he clearly wanted to show his technique."
Rajkumar nodded, "Let's see how the bowling test goes." He motioned for Abhay to remove his pads and get ready for the bowling test.
Abhay walked into the net with the ball in his left hand, adjusting his grip once before looking up at the batter.
Another Under-12 player stood at the crease, bat resting loosely behind his feet. This wasn't a contest, just a test.
Abhay took a short run-up and began.
First ball. A good length, just outside off. 92KMH. Not quick, but not slow either.
The batter leaned into it and pushed it along the ground with clean contact.
Abhay nodded to himself and turned back calmly.
Second ball. Slightly fuller, aimed at the pads. 96KMH.
The batter flicked it off his legs, the ball thudding into the side netting. Another decent shot.
Third ball. Back of a length this time, angled across. 98KMH.
The batter tried to cut. The ball took the inside edge and rolled away harmlessly.
Not a bad ball. Just enough.
Three balls, all at different lengths and none wasted.
Abhay adjusted the ball in his hand and shortened his run-up slightly.
Fourth ball. This time he threw even faster. 100KMH
The ball skidded in low, a yorker, quick enough to surprise without being reckless. The batter jammed his bat down just in time, managing only a block as the ball trickled away.
Abhay didn't look at him. He was already walking back.
Fifth ball. It was the same action but this time, the pace dropped.
The ball floated in slower, around 82 KMH, but deceptively similar in release. The batter swung a fraction early. The ball took the bat's edge and popped up softly.
Abhay moved forward two steps and caught it easily, fingers cushioning the ball.
Simple.
The coaches exchanged a glance.
Abhay rolled the ball once in his palm, then paused.
For the last delivery, he did something different.
He switched hands.
The murmurs were quiet, more curious than surprised.
Abhay walked back for a longer run-up, the ball now in his right hand. He took a breath, ran in smoothly, and let his arm come over fully.
The ball flew out faster than the previous ones at 110KMH.
A straight yorker.
It tailed in late and struck the base of the stumps cleanly.
The wickets rattled.
Abhay slowed to a stop, watching the ball roll away, then turned back toward the net with a smile as he stretched his shoulders.
~
Rajkumar made another note on his pad, then gestured for Abhay to step closer.
Abhay jogged over, stopping in front of him with the same harmless, almost sleepy smile he had been wearing since morning.
Rajkumar studied him for a moment before asking, "If you have that kind of pace in your right arm, why don't you bowl with it regularly?"
Abhay answered calmly, without hesitation. "My body can't handle 110 KMH right now. That pace was entirely due to technique."
As he spoke, he raised his right arm and made a loose, whip-like motion.
Rajkumar blinked.
The movement looked… unnatural. It was fluid but almost boneless.
Abhay noticed his reaction and explained further, still casual. "I've been stretching and doing gymnastics for years. My body is very flexible. Using a whip-like action, I can generate pace, but overusing it would lead to injury, so I don't rely on it."
He paused, then added lightly, "And it works well as deception too."
Rajkumar looked at the boy again.
This time, he wasn't evaluating batting technique or bowling mechanics.
He was evaluating maturity.
Most kids this age barely understood what deception meant in cricket. Yet Abhay spoke about it as if it were obvious, something to be used carefully, not flaunted recklessly.
If he was already thinking this way at ten…
Rajkumar allowed himself a small smile. "Alright," he said. "Go join the fielding drills. Put those deception skills to good use in the weekly and monthly matches."
Abhay paused for half a second.
His smile didn't fade, but inside, he was surprised. He hadn't expected to be allowed into weekly matches during his very first week.
Still, this worked perfectly for him.
More matches meant more experience. More growth.
"Thank you, sir," Abhay said sincerely, then jogged off toward the fielding group.
Rajkumar watched from a distance.
What he saw next surprised him even more.
Abhay's fielding stood out immediately. His judgment of the ball was sharp. He adjusted his position early, chose the safest catching angles, and moved with confidence that far exceeded his peers.
And then there was the throw.
That same whip-like motion, quick, efficient and accurate.
The ball flew back cleanly, every time.
He was easily one of the best fielders in the Under-12 batch.
Rajkumar watched for a while longer, arms crossed, mind already working.
If Abhay couldn't be challenged at this level, there was no point keeping him here for too long.
He knew he shouldn't rush things.
But letting a kid's talent stagnate?
That never sat right with him.
After giving a few quiet instructions to the Under-12 coaches, Rajkumar turned and walked away, already considering when, and how soon Abhay Khanna should be moved up.
The boy was only ten and he was already ahead of the curve.
~~~
The first weekend since Abhay's joining the West Delhi Cricket Academy arrived quickly, and with it came match day.
Rajkumar firmly believed that no amount of training mattered unless it was tested in real matches. Because of that, the academy regularly held small weekly matches and larger monthly matches for every division. Once a year, they even organized tournament matches that were fairly well-known in the area.
Match days always brought a crowd.
Parents lined the boundary, along with a few free uncles who had nothing better to do than watch cricket and give unsolicited gyaan (Knowledge) about their own glorious feats from decades ago. The atmosphere was lively, casual, and unmistakably cricketing.
The first match of the day was for the Under-12 batch.
They were the youngest, so their match was the shortest, 10 overs per side.
The players were divided into two teams, Blue and Red. Abhay found himself in the Red team, wearing a red bib over his white training kit. The captains of both sides were the oldest kids in the Under-12 batch, boys who were expected to move up to the Under-14 group soon.
~
Both captains walked out for the toss, the Red team captain won and chose to bat first.
The openers took their positions and started aggressively. The first few balls were negotiated safely, and then came two quick boundaries, one four, followed by a six. The fielding side scrambled, but the momentum was clearly with the batters.
Then came the change-up.
The bowler slowed his pace slightly. The batsman had already committed to the shot, his timing completely off. The ball ballooned up instead of racing away and dropped straight into the bowler's waiting hands.
Pradyuman marked the score.
[RED TEAM 10/1]
The next batsman walked in, and the pair focused on stabilizing the innings. They rotated strike, picked gaps, and avoided unnecessary risks. The run rate ticked along steadily over the next few overs.
Then disaster struck.
A simple miscommunication during a quick single left the opener stranded halfway down the pitch. The throw came in clean, the bails were removed, and the umpire raised his finger.
[RED TEAM 40/2]
[5 OVERS]
The Red team captain glanced toward the dugout and then turned to Abhay, who was watching the match with his usual laid-back posture. He gave Abhay a light pat on the back.
Abhay, already padded up, nodded calmly. He slipped on his helmet and jogged toward the field.
The change was immediate.
The relaxed, almost sleepy presence vanished the moment he crossed the boundary rope. His posture straightened, his steps became measured, and his eyes sharpened with focus.
Several of his teammates noticed.
They had gotten along well with Abhay since his arrival. He was calm, always smiling, rarely flustered. But watching him walk out to bat now, they realized something was different.
This was a different Abhay.
He reached the pitch, tapped the bat once, and punched gloves with his batting partner. Taking his guard, he looked up briefly, then settled into his stance.
He took a deep breath.
A small smile tugged at his lips.
'Finally,' he thought. 'I am playing again.'
~~~~~
{The first few matches would be practice for me, I'd be learning how to make proper match scenes, score cards, etc, so there might be a few discrepancies in the early match scores and balls, but once he reaches state level cricket, I'd start keeping proper tabs.}