The GOAT of Cricket

*February 1, 2017 | Mumbai & Bangalore*

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**Scene 1: Arrival in Mumbai – 7:45 PM IST**

The wheels touched down with a hiss of steam and rubber.

Ishaan Verma looked out of the airplane window as the glittering sprawl of Mumbai unfurled beneath. The afterglow of Australia still shimmered in his mind—the Gabba hundred, Cummins' beamers, the SCG crowd roaring as he raised his bat. But as the aircraft taxied, reality pulled closer. India awaited him. Not with silence.

With noise.

Outside the arrival gate, chaos brewed like a summer storm.

**Flashbulbs. Mics. Placards. Cheers. And questions. So many questions.**

"ISHAAAAN! ONE PHOTO!"

"WILL YOU DATE EMMA WATSON?"

"PLAYER OF THE SERIES! HOW DOES IT FEEL?!"

"RCB FANS LOVE YOU!"

Security tried to hold the tide, but the surge was too strong. Ishaan moved swiftly, hoodie up, bag slung, eyes down. Still, he couldn't outrun the cameras.

One reporter shoved a mic through the crowd:

**"IS THIS THE NEW VIRAT KOHLI?"**

He paused. Smiled.

"There's only one Kohli."

And ducked into the car.

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**Scene 2: RCB Pre-Season Camp, Bangalore – Next Morning**

The Chinnaswamy Stadium had a strange calm before the storm. February sun shimmered off the grass. Boundary ropes were being painted. Nets stitched. Drones prepped.

Ishaan walked in wearing the red and gold RCB training kit. A ball thudded against bat in the distance. Then footsteps.

**Virat Kohli. Beard trimmed. Sunglasses on. Commanding as ever.**

"There he is," Virat said, wrapping him in a quick hug. "The man who shook Sydney."

Ishaan smiled. "It still feels like a dream."

Virat handed him a bat. "It stops being a dream when they expect you to do it twice."

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**Scene 3: Training Nets – 11:00 AM**

The camp was buzzing. ABD was shadow-practicing reverse sweeps. Chris Woakes bowled in short bursts. Yuzi Chahal was trying to bowl leg-breaks blindfolded.

Ishaan stepped into the nets. The first delivery he faced was from Navdeep Saini—short, skiddy.

**Whack.**

Pulled cleanly to square leg. No frills. No fuss.

Commentators from the RCB media team stood behind the netting:

**"That's the sound of a man who faced Pat Cummins and didn't blink."**

Between sessions, Ishaan shared a moment with ABD.

"When you pulled Cummins in Adelaide, I stood up and clapped. Alone. In my living room."

"That means more than the crowd," Ishaan replied.

"Nah," AB winked. "It means you're ready for the noise."

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**Scene 4: Media Day Mayhem – 3:30 PM**

A hotel ballroom had been turned into a branding battlefield.

Cameras. Sponsor backdrops. Stylists. Scripting teams.

Ishaan, now clad in a fitted blazer, sat in front of a backdrop reading *"RCB: Play Bold. Dream Bigger."*

The director snapped fingers.

"Smile! Now look into the lens like you just hit a six off the last ball. Chin up! More confident! Yes! Now one more—'intense yet humble.' Perfect."

**Inside his head:**

> *This isn't cricket. This is theatre.*

After an hour, he stepped out to get water. Paparazzi were already waiting.

"ISHAAAN! EMMA COMMENTED ON YOUR STORY!"

"ARE YOU TWO OFFICIAL?!"

"IS THIS A BOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY OR LONDON DREAM?"

Security moved in again.

But not before one reporter shouted:

**"SACHIN HAD ANJALI. ISHAAAN HAS EMMA?!"**

He took a deep breath. Smiled politely. Kept walking.

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**Scene 5: Evening Gym Session – 7:45 PM**

The gym was nearly empty.

Only Virat and Ishaan remained. Sweat glistened on their brows.

Virat set down a dumbbell.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. Just… the noise. It's everywhere."

Virat leaned against the mirror wall.

"Let me tell you something.

After I scored my first hundred in Australia, they made me the next Dravid. Then, the next Tendulkar. Then, the next controversy."

He looked Ishaan dead in the eye.

**"You're not a poster. You're a player.

The game made you. Not the gossip.

Don't lose what made you pull Cummins for six.

Don't play for applause. Play for the silence between the roars."**

Ishaan nodded. The gym fell into quiet again.

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**Scene 6: Ishaan's Hotel Room – Late Night**

Alone. Finally.

He scrolled through his phone.

**Notifications: 263.**

Text from Kohli:

> *You okay, rookie?*

> *- V.*

He replied:

> *Still learning to breathe in the noise.*

He opened Instagram.

Emma's story:

A picture of a cricket field. Caption: *"Silence can be louder than cheers."*

He stared at it.

Paused.

Closed the app.

He opened his notes app and typed a single line:

> *Let them shout. I'll answer with the bat.*

He slid the phone under his pillow.

Turned off the lights.

Outside, Mumbai still buzzed. Inside, the fire quietly burned.

Tomorrow would bring cameras. More microphones. More stories.

But tonight, Ishaan Verma chose focus.

Not fame.

Not fantasy.

**Cricket.**

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