Emperor Of Cricket

Chahal, still reeling from the shock, suddenly sprang to his feet, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Bro, what are you still doing here? GO TALK TO HER!"

The entire locker room immediately turned toward Advay, their excitement skyrocketing. Some of them even started nodding and clapping, fully invested in this unfolding drama.

Advay hesitated, shifting his weight slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I would go, but…"

The moment the words left his mouth, every single player in the room spoke in unison.

"BUT WHAT?"

Advay exhaled, glancing at the floor for a second before looking back up at them. "I'm… quite afraid."

For a moment, there was silence.

And then—absolute chaos.

The entire locker room exploded in laughter. Some players were banging on their lockers, others clapping their hands as they doubled over, while Chahal collapsed onto the floor, grabbing his stomach.

"OH MY GOD! THIS GUY JUST SMASHED A 137 IN AN IPL MATCH AND TOOK TWO WICKETS, BUT HE'S AFRAID OF TALKING TO A GIRL?!"* Chahal howled, rolling onto his side.

Mohammed Siraj was wiping tears from his eyes, while Umesh Yadav shook his head. "Bhai, you faced Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga like they were nothing, but you're scared of one girl?!"

AB de Villiers, leaning against his seat with a wide grin, chuckled. "This is gold. Absolute gold."

Virat, still smirking, folded his arms and looked at Advay with a raised eyebrow. "So let me get this straight—you can destroy world-class bowlers, chase down 200+ targets with ease, and bowl at 145 kmph, but you're afraid to talk to Ananya Pandey?"

Advay sighed, rubbing his face. "Yes?"

Another wave of laughter erupted, the players completely losing it.

Chahal, still on the floor, looked up at him dramatically. "Bhai, we have to save you. We have to. This is an emergency."

Chahal was the first to break the silence. "Wait, wait, wait… What is going on?" He looked between Virat and Advay, completely lost. The other players, who had been half-dressed, removing their pads, or casually drinking water, now leaned in, sensing something interesting was unfolding.

Virat sighed, rubbing his forehead before looking at the team. "Remember the girl Advay told us about during the team dinner? The one he met once and never forgot?"

A few of them nodded, some recalling the conversation while others tried to piece it together.

Virat pointed at Advay and then dramatically spread his hands. "That girl… is Ananya Pandey."

For a second, everyone just stared at Virat.

Then, as if in slow motion, they all turned and stared at Advay.

Umesh Yadav, who had been casually stretching near his locker, suddenly stood up straight, his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Bhai, are you serious? You really didn't know she was Ananya Pandey?"

Advay, still genuinely confused, shook his head. "No? Who is she?"

The entire room exploded.

Chahal threw his towel on the ground dramatically. "You're joking! YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING!"

Washington Sundar just stared at him, mouth slightly open, while Mohammed Siraj looked as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing ever.

Umesh, still struggling to comprehend, crossed his arms. "Wait… do you even watch movies?"

Advay shrugged. "I've only watched English movies and a few Tamil and Kannada ones."

The moment he said that, Chahal dropped onto the floor like he had been shot. "I can't… I just can't with this guy."

Navdeep Saini burst out laughing, while AB de Villiers, who had been quietly listening to the chaos, leaned back in his chair, shaking his head with an amused grin.

Harshal Patel, trying to contain his laughter, clapped his hands once. "So you're telling us, you fell for a girl… had her face stuck in your head for years… and didn't even know she was a celebrity?"

Advay ran a hand through his hair, now slightly overwhelmed. "I mean… yeah?"

Another round of disbelief shot through the locker room as players either fell onto their seats, shook their heads, or just laughed in complete shock.

Virat, watching it all unfold, smirked and shook his head. "This guy… unbelievable."

Chahal, still reeling from the shock, suddenly sprang to his feet, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Bro, what are you still doing here? GO TALK TO HER!"

The entire locker room immediately turned toward Advay, their excitement skyrocketing. Some of them even started nodding and clapping, fully invested in this unfolding drama.

Advay hesitated, shifting his weight slightly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I would go, but…"

The moment the words left his mouth, every single player in the room spoke in unison.

"BUT WHAT?"

Advay exhaled, glancing at the floor for a second before looking back up at them. "I'm… quite afraid."

For a moment, there was silence.

And then—absolute chaos.

The entire locker room exploded in laughter. Some players were banging on their lockers, others clapping their hands as they doubled over, while Chahal collapsed onto the floor, grabbing his stomach.

"OH MY GOD! THIS GUY JUST SMASHED A 137 IN AN IPL MATCH AND TOOK TWO WICKETS, BUT HE'S AFRAID OF TALKING TO A GIRL?!"* Chahal howled, rolling onto his side.

Mohammed Siraj was wiping tears from his eyes, while Umesh Yadav shook his head. "Bhai, you faced Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga like they were nothing, but you're scared of one girl?!"

AB de Villiers, leaning against his seat with a wide grin, chuckled. "This is gold. Absolute gold."

Virat, still smirking, folded his arms and looked at Advay with a raised eyebrow. "So let me get this straight—you can destroy world-class bowlers, chase down 200+ targets with ease, and bowl at 145 kmph, but you're afraid to talk to Ananya Pandey?"

Advay sighed, rubbing his face. "Yes?"

Another wave of laughter erupted, the players completely losing it.

Chahal, still on the floor, looked up at him dramatically. "Bhai, we have to save you. We have to. This is an emergency."

Just as the laughter in the locker room refused to die down, the door swung open, and a member of the RCB staff stepped inside, glancing around before locking his eyes on Advay.

"Advay, you're needed for the presentation. Player of the Match."

The entire room burst into cheers, players clapping and patting Advay on the back. Chahal, still laughing, grabbed his shoulders and shook him playfully. "Player of the Match AND afraid of girls—what a combination!"

Advay sighed, shaking his head as he quickly adjusted his jersey before making his way out. As he stepped onto the field, the Chinnaswamy crowd erupted in cheers, the stadium still packed, fans refusing to leave even after the match had ended. The giant screens flashed his name, and as he walked onto the podium, he was greeted by Harsha Bhogle, who held a mic and a signature warm smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your Player of the Match—Advay Rai!"

The crowd roared, banners waving, fans chanting his name. Advay accepted the golden trophy, taking a deep breath as he turned toward Harsha, who was already smirking slightly.

"Advay, congratulations on yet another spectacular performance. 137 with the bat, 2 wickets with the ball, and an all-around display of dominance. Talk us through your mindset today."*

Advay adjusted the mic slightly, smiling. "Thank you, Harsha. It was one of those days where everything just clicked. Virat bhai and I decided to go aggressive from the start, and once we got going, we didn't want to stop. With the ball, I just tried to keep things simple—hit the right lengths and let the pitch do the work."

Harsha nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Now, this is your second IPL match, and you already have two centuries and five wickets to your name. You're making this look easy!"

Advay chuckled. "Trust me, it's not easy. But I've put in a lot of work to be in this position, and I just focus on staying in the moment."

Harsha tilted his head slightly, a small smirk forming. "Now, I have to ask… did you notice the camera showing the VIP stands earlier?"

The crowd cheered louder, sensing where this was going.

Advay blinked, caught slightly off guard. He could feel the RCB players watching from the dugout, waiting for his reaction. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… yeah, I might have seen something."

Harsha tilted his head slightly, a small smirk forming, clearly enjoying himself. He adjusted his mic and continued, "Well, Advay, I have to tell you something. The cameras didn't just capture the VIP stands…"

Advay, still holding the Player of the Match trophy, looked at him curiously. "Oh?"

Harsha's smirk widened. "They also captured you and Virat having a very... intense conversation while walking off the field."

Advay immediately started coughing.

The crowd burst into laughter, and Harsha, along with the entire presentation team, couldn't hold back either. The sound of Chinnaswamy's collective amusement filled the stadium, while in the RCB dugout, the players were practically dying from laughter.

Harsha, barely able to keep a straight face, continued, "You looked like you had just seen a ghost, and Virat looked... well, let's just say he looked very, very amused."

Advay, still clearing his throat, rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his weight slightly. He could feel all eyes on him—the crowd, the cameras, his teammates, even Virat, who was grinning ear to ear in the dugout.

He finally took a deep breath and muttered into the mic, "Uh… yeah, well… it was just an important discussion."

The crowd roared even louder, and Harsha shook his head, chuckling. "I'm sure it was. Maybe one day, you'll tell us what that discussion was about."

The stadium was still laughing as Harsha patted Advay on the shoulder. "Anyway, whatever it was, I think we can all agree it didn't affect your performance tonight. Congratulations once again, Advay, on another fantastic match. The IPL has a new superstar!"

The crowd erupted once again, chanting his name, as he lifted the Player of the Match trophy before stepping off the stage.

As he walked toward the dugout, he could already see Virat, Chahal, and the others waiting for him with the biggest grins on their faces.

He was definitely not going to hear the end of this.

After wrapping up the post-match press conference, Advay quickly made his way toward the VIP stands. The moment Harsha Bhogle had brought up the camera capturing his conversation with Virat, he knew this wasn't something he could just ignore. The memory of seeing her on the big screen, even for just a few seconds, had unsettled him in a way he couldn't explain.

The stadium was still buzzing with life, fans lingering, soaking in the thrill of RCB's massive victory. Security personnel stood at various points, guiding people out, while some VIP guests were still engaged in conversations.

Advay walked through the private entrance, scanning the seats, his eyes searching for the one face he had been thinking about since that day. His heart was beating a little faster than he liked, though he wasn't sure if it was from exhaustion or something else entirely.

But as he reached the VIP lounge area, he stopped in his tracks.

She was gone.

The seat where she had been sitting was empty, and the people around were either leaving or engaged in their own conversations. No sign of her. No trace that she had even been there.

Advay ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply as he glanced around, hoping—just maybe—he had missed her. But it was pointless. She had left.

He stood there for a moment longer, before finally letting out a small sigh and turning back toward the tunnel leading to the dressing room.

As he walked back, one thought lingered in his mind.

"Just like last time… she disappeared before I could even say a word."

The next morning, the RCB team gathered at their training facility in Bengaluru, shifting their focus to the upcoming match against KKR at Eden Gardens. The mood was light, yet focused, as the players warmed up under the morning sun.

Advay arrived at the ground a little early, dressed in his RCB training kit, quietly tying his shoelaces as he glanced around. The celebrations from last night had been massive, but there was no time to dwell on the past. They had a long season ahead, and KKR was a team that couldn't be taken lightly—especially at Eden Gardens.

Virat jogged past him, clapping him on the back. "Slept well?" he asked, smirking slightly, knowing exactly what had been on Advay's mind.

Advay sighed, shaking his head. "Not really."

Virat chuckled but didn't press further. "Good. Means you're still hungry for more."

As the other players arrived, the coaching staff gathered them in a huddle, with Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra leading the session.

"Alright, boys," Kirsten started, "Two games, two dominant wins. But we don't celebrate too long. KKR is up next, and this is our first away game. They're a strong team at Eden Gardens, so we need to be at our best."

Nehra stepped in, his voice serious. "Their batting is explosive—Russell, Rana, Karthik, and Lynn can take the game away in a few overs. Their bowling? Narine, Kuldeep, and Ferguson—they will test us."

Virat nodded, adding, "Which means we don't give them an inch. We go in with the same intensity as the last two games."

Chahal, always the playful one, grinned. "But this time, let's not let Advay steal all the awards, huh?"

The team burst into laughter, and even Advay smirked. "I'll try to leave something for you, Yuzi."

The session soon moved to intense net practice, with the batsmen facing the fast bowlers under the watchful eyes of Kirsten and Nehra. Advay, in particular, was being tested against spin, as he would have to face Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav in the next game.

After a few overs, Nehra walked over, arms crossed. "You're playing Narine like he's bowling throwdowns. Don't get too comfortable. He's a magician in Eden Gardens."

Advay nodded, adjusting his gloves. "I'll be ready."

The bowlers also got their turn, with Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini working on their lengths, focusing on Russell's weakness against short-pitched deliveries.

As the training session wrapped up, Virat huddled the team together one last time. "We've started well, but champions keep getting better. KKR is strong, but we're stronger. We go to Kolkata, and we send a message to the league."

The players cheered, the session ending on a high note.

As they packed up and prepared to leave for Kolkata the next day, Advay couldn't shake the one thought lingering in his mind.

The match was important… but a part of him was still thinking about Ananya.