God of Cricket!-Chapter 64: Hyderabad

Chapter 65: The Titans of Hyderabad

Aryan didn’t back away.

He stepped forward.

He met the ball on the rise.

With [Blitz] active, his bat speed matched the ball speed.

He didn’t try to slog. He played a punch-drive. straight back past the bowler.

The timing was perfect.

The ball rocketed past Lee’s ankles before he could even react.

It raced to the long-off boundary.

FOUR.

The sound of the bat was like a gunshot.

Lee stopped in his follow-through. He turned to look at the boundary. Then he looked at Aryan.

The smirk was gone.

Ball 5:

Lee was furious. Fast bowlers hate being driven straight.

He went short again.

But this time, Aryan was expecting it.

[Trait: Improviser]

Aryan shuffled across his stumps. He used the pace.

He didn’t hook. He just ramped it.

He angled his bat like a periscope.

The ball hit the bat and flew over the slips.

It sailed all the way to the third man boundary.

It bounced once. Twice.

FOUR.

"Checkmate," Aryan whispered.

Ball 6:

Lee steamed in. He was red in the face.

He bowled a slower ball. A cutter.

It was a good ball, dipping late.

But Aryan picked it. He waited. He waited.

Then he rolled his wrists and worked it into the gap at mid-wicket.

Two runs.

10 runs off the over.

The spell was broken. The intimidation had failed.

The Middle Phase: Spin vs Skill

With Lee seen off for now, Yuvraj brought on the spinners. Piyush Chawla and Ramesh Powar.

This was Aryan’s territory.

He had [Spin Mastery].

The match turned into a chess game.

Watson attacked the seamers. Aryan dismantled the spinners.

Over 10: Aryan steps out to Chawla. Inside-out drive. SIX.

Over 12: Aryan sweeps Powar. FOUR.

The partnership grew. 50 runs. 80 runs.

Aryan reached 40.

[Quest Objective Met: Score 40+ runs.]

[Reward: Reflex Boost Acquired.]

But KXIP wasn’t done.

In the 14th over, Watson fell, caught at deep square leg off Irfan Pathan.

105/2.

Yusuf Pathan came in, swung wildly, and got bowled by Sreesanth.

115/3.

The required run rate was climbing again.

52 needed off 30 balls.

And Yuvraj Singh had held back two overs of Brett Lee for the death.

The Climax: The Final Barrier

Over 17. Brett Lee returned.

The stadium was buzzing with tension.

Aryan was on 48. He was tired. The heat and the adrenaline dump were taking a toll.

[Stamina: 35%]

[Status: Fatigued]

"Just stay there," Ravindra Jadeja (the new batsman) told him. "You’re the set batsman."

Ball 1:

Lee to Aryan.

Reverse swing.

The ball started outside leg and tailed in toward the middle stump.

148 km/h.

Aryan tried to flick. He was late.

Thud.

The ball smashed into his pads.

"HOWZAT!" Lee screamed, veins popping in his neck.

The umpire shook his head. Going down leg.

Close. Very close.

Ball 2:

Lee adjusted.

Yorker. Base of off stump.

Aryan dug it out.

Dot ball.

Ball 3:

Length ball.

Aryan swung. Mistimed.

The ball went straight up in the air.

"Mine!" called the keeper, Sangakkara.

Aryan froze. No. Not now.

But the Jaipur wind was tricky. The ball swirled.

Sangakkara ran back, circled, and... dropped it!

The ball slipped through his gloves.

A lifeline.

Aryan scrambled a single.

49 runs.

The reprieve woke him up. God is giving me a second chance. Don’t waste it.

The match came down to the wire.

Last Over. 12 runs needed.

Bowler: Irfan Pathan.

Aryan was on strike. He was on 55.

Ball 1:

Irfan bowled full.

Aryan cleared his front leg.

[System Skill: The 360 Arc]

He didn’t hit it straight. He scooped it over short fine leg.

FOUR.

8 off 5.

Ball 2:

Wide.

7 off 5.

Ball 2 (Re-bowl):

Irfan bowled a slower bouncer.

Aryan pulled. Not from the middle.

Top edge.

The ball landed safely in the deep.

Two runs.

5 off 4.

Ball 3:

Yorker.

Aryan jammed it out.

Single.

4 off 3.

Jadeja on strike.

"Hit it, Jaddu!" Aryan yelled.

Ball 4:

Jadeja swung. Connection!

The ball flew to deep mid-wicket.

The fielder, Shaun Marsh, ran around. He dived.

He stopped the boundary!

They ran two.

2 off 2.

Tension. Unbearable tension.

Jadeja on strike.

Ball 5:

Irfan ran in.

He bowled a length ball.

Jadeja tapped it to point and ran.

It was a suicidal run.

Yuvraj Singh swooped on the ball.

He threw down the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

"DIRECT HIT!"

The replay showed Jadeja was inches short.

OUT.

Equation: 2 runs off 1 ball.

New batsman: Sohail Tanvir.

But the batsmen had crossed.

Aryan Sharma was on strike.

The crowd was deafening. "ARYAN! ARYAN!"

Warne was pacing in the dugout like a caged tiger.

Preity Zinta (KXIP Owner) was praying in the stands.

Irfan Pathan stood at the top of his mark.

Aryan stood at the crease.

He closed his eyes for a microsecond.

[System: Clutch Mode Activated]

[Probability of Success: 60%]

Irfan ran in.

He didn’t bowl a yorker. He bowled a back-of-a-length delivery into the body, cramping Aryan.

It was a smart ball. Hard to hit for four.

But Aryan didn’t need four. He needed two.

He didn’t swing. He just softened his grip.

He played a soft dab to the leg side, into the vast empty space at mid-wicket.

"RUN!"

He sprinted.

Tanvir sprinted.

The fielder, Brett Lee, charged in from the deep.

They completed the first run easily.

They turned for the second.

Lee picked up the ball.

His arm was a rocket launcher.

Aryan was running to the danger end.

He saw Lee wind up.

He dived. Full stretch. Bat extended.

The throw came in flat and hard.

CRASH.

The stumps shattered.

"APPEAL!"

The umpire went upstairs.

The stadium held its breath.

The giant screen replayed the moment.

Frame by frame.

Lee’s throw... the stumps lighting up... Aryan’s bat sliding.

The bat was on the line.

Wait.

Just a millimeter over the line before the bails lit up.

Green Light.

NOT OUT.

Rajasthan Royals Win by 6 Wickets!

The stadium erupted. Fireworks exploded into the night sky.

Aryan lay face down in the dirt, chest heaving, listening to the roar of 30,000 people.

He had beaten the speed. He had beaten the odds.

He was the Prince of Jaipur.

-----------

​The flight from Jaipur to Hyderabad was short, but for the Rajasthan Royals, it felt like a victory lap in the clouds.

​The cabin was buzzing. Shane Warne had taken over the in-flight intercom, cracking jokes about Brett Lee’s face when Aryan hit him for four. Yusuf Pathan was asleep, mouth open, snoring loudly enough to rival a jet engine. Ravindra Jadeja was showing everyone the replay of the run-out on his iPod Touch, zooming in on the millimeter that saved Aryan.

​Aryan sat by the window, watching the Deccan plateau sprawl beneath him. He was exhausted. The [Blitz] skill had drained his stamina bar to a dangerous red zone, and the adrenaline crash left his limbs feeling like lead.

​"Hey, hero," a voice said.

​Aryan turned to see Graeme Smith standing in the aisle. The South African captain, usually a man of granite-faced seriousness, looked impressed.

​"That scoop off Irfan," Smith said, shaking his head. "If you tried that in a Test match back home, I’d have strangled you. But here... it was genius."

​"Necessity is the mother of invention, Skip," Aryan smiled weakly.

​Smith chuckled. "Get some sleep. You’re going to need it. The next team isn’t just a cricket team. They’re a heavy metal band with bats."

​Deccan Chargers.

​In 2008, on paper, they were the most terrifying team in the league.

Adam Gilchrist. The greatest wicketkeeper-batsman in history.

Andrew Symonds. The most expensive overseas player, a beast of a man.

Herschelle Gibbs. The South African dynamo.

Shahid Afridi. Boom Boom.

And... Rohit Sharma.

​Aryan looked back out the window. Rohit. His Mumbai teammate. His senior. The man who had poured water on him after the Irani Cup win. Now, they were enemies.

Hotel Taj Krishna, Hyderabad - 11:00 PM

The team checked in. The lobby was mobbed by fans. Aryan had to be escorted by security—a new experience. He wasn’t just a player anymore; he was a commodity.

Safe in his room, Aryan collapsed onto the bed. He didn’t even take off his shoes before summoning the interface.

"System."

[MATCH REWARDS PROCESSED]

Match: RR vs KXIP

Result: Win (Last Ball Thriller)

Personal Score: 55* (32 balls)

Rating: S (Match Winner)

[REWARDS]

XP: +2000

Level Up: Level 26 -> 27

Stat Points: +5

Quest Reward: [Reflex Boost (Passive)]

Aryan sat up, intrigued. He tapped on the new skill.

[Reflex Boost (Passive)]

Description: Permanently enhances neural processing speed. Visual information is transmitted to the muscles 0.05 seconds faster.

Effect: Time appears to "slow down" slightly more during high-speed events (145kmph+ bowling or close-range catches).

Synergy: Stacks with [Focus] and [Adrenaline Rush].

He wanted to test it. He looked around the room. A fruit fly was buzzing near the lamp.

Usually, catching a fly is luck. You swat and hope.

Aryan focused.

The fly moved. To Aryan’s eyes, it didn’t look like a blur. He saw the trajectory. He saw the erratic zigzag.

His hand shot out. Two fingers pinched the air.

He opened his fingers. The fly buzzed away, annoyed but unharmed.

Aryan grinned. 0.05 seconds. It makes a difference.

[Status Update]

Stamina: 45/100 (Recovering)

Fatigue: High (Requires Sleep)

He allocated his 5 new Stat Points immediately.

+3 to Stamina (He needed to last longer in innings).

+2 to Power (He needed to clear the ropes without relying solely on timing).

Stats Updated:

Stamina: 88 -> 91 (Elite Athlete)

Power: 68 -> 70 (Respectable)

He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep, the hum of the System fading into the background.

The Reunion

The next evening, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium was sweltering. The heat in Hyderabad was humid, sticky, suffocating.

During the warm-ups, the two teams crossed paths. The Deccan Chargers were wearing beige and black—a jersey that looked like a military uniform.

"Oye! Hero!"

Aryan turned to see a familiar face jogging towards him. Rohit Sharma.

Rohit looked relaxed, chewing gum, his cap tilted back.

"Rohit bhai," Aryan smiled, jogging over to hug him.

"I saw the match," Rohit said, punching Aryan lightly in the ribs. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. That scoop? Seriously?"

"Learned from the best," Aryan winked.

"Don’t butter me up," Rohit laughed. "But listen, tonight is different. We haven’t won a game yet. Gilchrist is angry. Symonds is angry. And when the big Aussies get angry..."

He gestured to the nets where Andrew Symonds was smashing balls so hard the net bowlers looked terrified.

"They want to kill someone," Rohit finished. "Be careful. Symonds bowls heavy. If he hits you, you stay hit."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Aryan said. "But you know I don’t back down."

Rohit grinned, walking backward. "I know. That’s why I told Gilly to set a slip for you. See you out there, Giant Slayer."

The Toss

"We’ll have a bowl," Adam Gilchrist said at the toss, his voice booming. "The pitch looks like a belter. We want to chase."

Shane Warne lost the toss again. "Righto. We bat first. Let’s put a big score on the board and let the spin choke them."

The strategy was sound, but the execution began disastrously.

Deccan Chargers’ Bowling Attack:

RP Singh (Swing King).

Chaminda Vaas (Left-arm legend).

Andrew Symonds (Medium-fast brute).

Pragyan Ojha (Spinner).

Over 1: Chaminda Vaas to Graeme Smith.

Swing. Seam. Edge. Gone.

RR: 0/1.

Over 3: Swapnil Asnodkar tried to attack RP Singh. The ball swung late, uprooted the off-stump.

RR: 18/2.

The familiar top-order collapse. The Hyderabad crowd roared, waving their flags.

"Aryan," Warne said, looking grim. "You’re in early again. Stabilize it. But don’t go into a shell. If you block, they will eat you."

Aryan walked out. The noise was deafening.

At the other end was Shane Watson.

"They are swinging it corners, mate," Watson warned, leaning on his bat. "Watch the late shape."

Aryan took his guard.

He looked up.

Standing at the top of the mark was Andrew Symonds.

Big shoulders. White zinc cream on his lips. Dreadlocks tied back. He looked like a warrior from a different era.

[BOSS BATTLE: THE TITAN]

Opponent: Andrew Symonds

Trait: [Intimidator] (Reduces opponent’s confidence by 10%).

Style: Heavy Ball / Aggressive.

Objective: Score at a Strike Rate > 130.

Ball 1:

Symonds ran in. He didn’t have a smooth action; he muscled the ball.

It hit the pitch hard. Short of length. Rising towards the chest.

Aryan stood tall.

[Reflex Boost Active]

He saw the rise early. He dropped his wrists and let it pass.

Symonds stared at him. "Hit the ball, kid. It’s not a Test match."

Ball 2:

Symonds bowled full, searching for the drive.

Aryan leaned forward. He timed it beautifully.

The ball raced past mid-off.

But Herschelle Gibbs was fielding there.

Gibbs dived—a blur of motion—picked the ball up one-handed, and threw it at the stumps in one motion.

Aryan had barely left the crease. He scrambled back.

"No run!"

Aryan exhaled. Fielding level: World Class.

Ball 3:

Symonds went for the yorker.

Aryan anticipated it. [Trait: Gap Piercer].

He opened the face of the bat, guiding it between point and gully.

The ball raced away.

FOUR.

Symonds didn’t like that. He walked back to his mark, muttering something that definitely wasn’t a compliment.

The Partnership

Aryan and Watson rebuilt the innings. It wasn’t the explosive fireworks of Jaipur; it was a gritty, calculated counter-attack.

Aryan used his [Spin Mastery] against Pragyan Ojha, stepping out to loft him over covers.

Watson took on Shahid Afridi, smashing a massive six over long-on.

By the 15th over, Rajasthan was 120/2.

Aryan was on 45 (30 balls).

Watson was on 60 (40 balls).

"Time to go," Watson said, punching gloves. "Five overs left. 200 is the target."

But cricket is cruel.

Watson tried to slog RP Singh and was caught at deep mid-wicket.

120/3.

Yusuf Pathan walked in.

First ball: He swung wildly. Missed.

Second ball: He swung wildly. Edge. Caught by Gilchrist.

121/4.

The momentum stalled.

Aryan was stranded at one end, watching the collapse.

Ravindra Jadeja came in and got run out (again—a mix-up with Aryan).

130/5.

It was up to Aryan.

He was on 48.

The 19th over. Chaminda Vaas.

Aryan looked at the scoreboard. 130 was not enough. Gilchrist would chase that in 15 overs. They needed 160 at least.

"System," Aryan thought. "I need power."

[Warning: Stamina is at 60%. Power shots consume 10% Stamina each.]

"Do it."

Ball 1:

Vaas bowled a cutter.

Aryan waited. He cleared his front leg.

He didn’t rely on timing. He used his new Power (70) stat.

He heaved it over cow corner.

It wasn’t pretty. It was a slog.

But it cleared the rope.

SIX.

54 for Aryan. Three consecutive fifties.

Ball 2:

Vaas went wide.

Aryan chased it. He sliced it over point.

FOUR.

The crowd went silent. The kid was doing it again.

Aryan managed to drag the score to 165/6 by the end of the 20 overs, finishing unbeaten on 72 (45 balls)*.

He walked off the field, chest heaving, sweat dripping from his chin.

165 was defendable. But only just.

The Second Innings: The Storm

Defending 165 against Deccan Chargers was like trying to stop a tsunami with a sandcastle.

Adam Gilchrist walked out. He had a squash ball inside his glove (his famous grip technique). He looked focused.

Shane Warne opened the bowling with Yusuf Pathan. A gamble. Spin first up.

Ball 1:

Yusuf bowled a dart.

Gilchrist stepped out.

BANG.

The ball disappeared over the sight screen.

SIX.

Ball 2:

Gilchrist swept. Hard.

FOUR.

Warne put his hands on his hips. "This is going to be a long night."

Gilchrist was in a mood. He destroyed the opening bowlers. By the end of the Powerplay, Deccan was 70/0.

Run rate required: Under 7.

The game was slipping away.

"Aryan!" Warne shouted. "Warm up!"

Aryan took off his cap. He was going to bowl.

To Adam Gilchrist.

[Target: Adam Gilchrist]

Threat: S++

Zone: Anything full or short.

Weakness: No obvious weakness in this form.

Advice: Change of pace. Knuckleball.

Aryan marked his run-up.

Gilchrist was on 45 off 20 balls. He was chewing gum, looking like he owned the stadium.

Aryan ran in.

He bowled the Knuckleball.

It drifted in.

Gilchrist saw it early. He waited.

He didn’t smash it. He just patted it back to Aryan.

Respect? No. Calculation. He wanted to see what the kid had.

Ball 2:

Aryan bowled faster. 142kmph. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Gilchrist pulled.

It wasn’t off the middle.

The ball flew to deep square leg.

It fell just short of the fielder.

Single.

Now VVS Laxman was on strike. The artistic wrist-master.

Aryan bowled a good length.

Laxman flicked it. Wristy, elegant.

The ball raced to the mid-wicket boundary.

FOUR.

Aryan felt the pressure. These weren’t domestic players. These were legends who punished microscopic errors.

The Twist

The match drifted. Deccan was cruising. 120/1 in 14 overs.

46 needed off 36 balls.

Gilchrist was out (caught off Warne), but Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds were at the crease.

This was the partnership Aryan feared.

The Power Hitter and the Class Act.

Warne threw the ball to Aryan for the 17th over.

Equation: 28 needed off 24 balls.

Aryan faced Rohit Sharma.

Brother vs Brother.

Ball 1:

Aryan ran in.

He bowled a wide yorker.

Rohit reached out. He opened the face.

Classic Rohit elegance.

The ball sliced to third man for a single.

Ball 2:

Symonds on strike.

The Beast.

Aryan tried the bouncer.

Symonds didn’t hook. He just stood tall and swatted it like a fly.

Flat bat. Tennis shot.

The ball rocketed past Aryan’s head.

FOUR.

"Don’t bowl there!" Warne screamed.

Ball 3:

Aryan corrected. Full and straight.

Symonds swung. Inside edge.

The ball hit his pad and rolled away.

No run.

Ball 4:

Symonds stepped out.

Aryan saw him moving.

[Trait: Analytical Mode Triggered]

He’s pre-meditating the long-on hit.

Aryan shortened the length and rolled his fingers. Off-cutter.

Symonds was through the shot too early.

The ball gripped. It bounced extra.

It hit the splice of the bat.

The ball looped up in the air.

Straight up.

"MINE!" Aryan screamed.

He ran down the pitch.

Symonds stood there, furious.

Aryan settled under it. The lights were blinding.

The ball dropped.

Thud.

Safe into his hands.

WICKET!

Andrew Symonds c & b Aryan 15.

Aryan roared, throwing the ball into the turf. He had removed the Beast.

The game was back on.

23 needed off 20 balls.

But Rohit Sharma was still there. And he had a look in his eye.

He walked past Aryan.

"Nice ball, kid," Rohit said, tapping his bat. "But the game isn’t over."

The stage was set for a grandstand finish.

The Wonderkid vs The Future Captain.

​(To be Continued)