The dusty air inside the practice nets smelled like leather, sweat, and red soil. The sound of ball hitting bat echoed in the narrow space, broken occasionally by the sharp thwack of willow meeting sweet spot.
Ajay stepped in slowly, rolling his shoulders. Every movement felt lighter, sharper—so different from the sluggishness he had carried in his last years. He picked up his old SS Turbo bat from the rack near the entrance. The grip felt familiar, the weight perfect in his hands, like reuniting with an old friend who hadn't aged a day.
A group of boys were already at it. Mohit, a tall, wiry fast bowler with an unpolished action, was steaming in from a short run-up. On the other end, Sanjay, short and solid, was flicking balls toward mid-wicket like it was nothing. Ajay knew them both well from his first life—Mohit would quit cricket by 1999 to join his family business, and Sanjay would end up as a coach in a private academy.
This time, Ajay wanted different outcomes. For himself first. Maybe for them later.
Testing the System
Ajay tightened his gloves. In his mind, the transparent scoreboard still floated:
Batting – Level 1 – 0/100Bowling (Spin) – Level 1 – 0/100Fielding – Level 1 – 0/100Fitness – Level 1 – 0/100
He wanted to see if it really worked.
He walked toward Coach Sharma, who was arranging a bucket of balls near the net entrance. The man looked just as Ajay remembered—thick mustache, sun-darkened skin, voice like sandpaper.
"Arre Ajay, you're early today," the coach grunted. "Good. Get some shadow practice before we start. Warm up those wrists."
Ajay smiled faintly. "Yes, Coach."
He stepped into the net and took guard. Mohit was handed the new ball. The first delivery was short and outside off stump. Ajay stepped forward and cracked it through cover, smooth as silk.
Ding.A faint vibration ran through his head.
Batting – Level 1 – 1/100
It worked. The system had recorded it.
The Grind Begins
For the next half hour, Ajay batted like a man possessed. Every shot, every adjustment, he did with full focus.
Mohit tried a bouncer—Ajay swayed back, letting it pass.Ding.Batting – 2/100
Sanjay switched to bowling spin. Ajay stepped out to drive, the ball racing past mid-off.Ding.Batting – 3/100
Even defensive shots gave him small progress. But the better the timing and execution, the faster the points climbed.
By the end of the first net session, he had:
Batting – Level 1 – 22/100
He wasn't just hitting for the sake of it—he was learning, absorbing. His eyes tracked the ball earlier, his feet moved into position instinctively. He felt sharper with every delivery.
Bowling Trials
When it was his turn to bowl, Ajay picked up the red ball and spun it in his fingers. In his first life, his part-time spin had been handy, but never world-class. Now, with the system, he could change that.
He started slow, focusing on grip and release. The first ball dipped slightly, but was too short. The batsman cut it away easily.
Ding.Bowling (Spin) – 1/100
The next was fuller, catching the edge and rolling toward slip.
Ding.Bowling – 2/100
By his tenth ball, he was already getting sharper turn than he ever remembered at this age. The system rewarded accuracy more than just deliveries—line, length, variation all mattered.
After fifteen minutes, his bowling stood at:
Bowling (Spin) – 14/100
Fielding & Fitness
Coach Sharma, never one to let players rest, set up a fielding drill. Ajay was at short cover, pouncing on quick ground balls and throwing to the stumps.
Ding.Fielding – 1/100Ding.Fielding – 2/100
Even diving stops, which had once left his knees screaming in his thirties, felt effortless.
For fitness, the coach made them run 10 sprints between wickets. Ajay pushed himself, lungs burning slightly, but his legs responded without the heaviness of age.
Ding.Fitness – 3/100
By the time practice ended, he had:
Batting – 38/100
Bowling – 17/100
Fielding – 6/100
Fitness – 4/100
Coach's Observation
As they packed up, Coach Sharma gave him a look. "You've sharpened up. Been training somewhere else?"
Ajay shook his head. "Just… decided it's time to get serious again."
The coach grunted approval. "Good. Don't waste your talent. You're seventeen now. You won't get this time back."
Ajay knew that better than anyone.
Quiet Reflection
Walking home with the bat over his shoulder, Ajay felt something he hadn't felt in years—control. In his first life, every step after seventeen had been a slide downhill, masked by occasional flashes of brilliance. Now, he could see the path ahead.
It would be hard. He would have to grind every skill, every day. But if the system was real—and it clearly was—he could take his abilities to a level no one had ever seen.
As he reached home, the evening sun casting long shadows on the lane, Ajay made himself a promise.
He would not just play for Bharat.He would make sure his name was written in cricket history, in records so untouchable that generations would remember him.
And in the quiet of his mind, the system pulsed like a heartbeat, ready to grow with him.