The GOAT of Cricket

*Sydney Cricket Ground | January 15, 2017 – Post-Match & Series Wrap-up*

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**Scene: The Moment of Triumph**

The final wicket had fallen in a flurry of red dirt and white flash. Nathan Lyon, bowled by Mohammed Shami, the bails cartwheeling like they'd been fired from a cannon.

The scoreboard blinked:

> *Australia 167 all out. India win by 88 runs.*

> *India take the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1.*

The Indian players converged into a tight circle. Helmets off. Arms up. Some ran, others wept. But one stood still for a moment longer at slip—bat under arm, head tilted toward the scoreboard.

**Ishaan Verma.**

Not blinking. Just breathing.

**Inner Monologue:**

> *You came to leave a mark. You left something bigger. A scar. A memory. A sign that India could conquer Australia in their own backyard.*

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**Scene: The Handshake**

The teams lined up for the customary post-match handshake.

Some clapped backs. Some exchanged quick words.

Then Ishaan saw him.

Pat Cummins.

Helmet off. Eyes tired. Face unreadable.

For a heartbeat, it seemed the fast bowler would walk past.

Then, without a word, Cummins stopped. Looked Ishaan in the eye.

And extended a hand.

They shook. No grin. No banter. Just a nod. Mutual. Stern. Heavy.

**Stump Mic Nearby:**

> *Cummins (barely audible):* "That hundred in Sydney... it was something."

**Ishaan:**

> "So were your bouncers."

No more words. Just the final seal to a rivalry both bruising and beautiful.

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**Scene: Presentation Ceremony**

Kohli lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy high. The crowd—Indian jerseys dotting the stands—roared.

**Harsha Bhogle (MC):**

> "Ladies and gentlemen, your Player of the Series... Ishaan Verma!"

Applause. The kind that lingers. Not thunderous. But respectful.

Ishaan walked up. Took the silver plate. Looked toward the Indian balcony. Dhoni stood and clapped. Dravid gave a small smile.

**Harsha (grinning):**

> "One fifty. Four centuries. Averaged over 70. On debut. Ishaan, is this the start of something legendary?"

Ishaan leaned into the mic.

> "No legends. Just a lot of work left."

The crowd loved it. Even the Australians.

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**Scene: Press Conference Room – SCG**

Reporters from all continents crowded into the white-tiled room.

Ishaan, still in his whites, sat beside coach Anil Kumble.

**Reporter (BBC):**

> "Was Cummins the toughest bowler you faced?"

**Ishaan:**

> "Yes. He doesn't bowl. He interrogates."

**Reporter (TOI):**

> "What did Virat tell you after the hundred?"

**Ishaan:**

> "He said: 'You've just replaced fear with belief in every young Indian.'"

A quiet pause. Pens stopped. Camera shutters paused.

**Reporter (The Age, Australia):**

> "Is this the birth of a new legend?"

**Ishaan:**

> *Smiles.* "No legends. Just a lot of work left."

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**Scene: Dressing Room – That Night**

Kohli raised a toast. Rahane recited a joke about Warner's sledges. Ashwin played tabla rhythms on a bucket.

But Ishaan sat on a bench outside.

Looking at the SCG lights. At the empty chairs.

**Dhoni walked out.**

**Dhoni:** "You handled Cummins. You handled history."

**Ishaan:** "I didn't expect this so soon."

**Dhoni:** "Neither did Tendulkar. Or Dravid. You don't plan a legacy. You just live it."

They sat in silence.

Inside, someone began singing an old Kishore Kumar tune.

Outside, the summer breeze of Sydney brushed against their necks. Soft. Honest.

**Inner Monologue (Ishaan):**

> *Next stop: home. But my soul now belongs to the away grounds too.*

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