Match 2 — vs SAM Public School
The pitch looked tired even before the first ball was bowled.
Dry patches near a length area. Soft bounce. The kind of surface where the ball didn't come on—it arrived late, like it was thinking before reaching the bat.
SAM Public School had already done their damage with discipline.
When Rudra walked in, the scoreboard read:
NITK: 27 / 3
No collapse.
No panic.
Just a slow leak.
The required rate wasn't impossible yet—but it was climbing, quietly, without drama.
Rudra took guard.
The first ball held up slightly. He adjusted mid-shot, checking his drive into the ground instead of forcing it.
Correct decision.
Batting Timing
Lv 01 (54 / 100 EXP) → (58 / 100 EXP)
The next few overs followed the same pattern.
Rudra played cricket the right way.
Straight bat.
Late contact.
Soft hands.
He placed the ball into gaps that existed only briefly, turning singles into the only reliable currency on the pitch.
But at the other end, the strike rotation faltered.
Dot balls crept in.
The field tightened.
The required rate rose—not sharply, but relentlessly.
Focus
Lv 06 (51 / 100 EXP) → (55 / 100 EXP)
Rudra tried to adjust.
He took calculated risks—one lofted drive just clearing mid-off, a pull rolled along the ground rather than forced in the air.
Runs came.
Not fast enough.
He reached 38 from 30 balls, breathing controlled, mind clear.
But cricket is not an individual sport, no matter how clean the technique.
A mistimed push from the other end ended in a soft catch.
Another wicket followed.
Suddenly, the equation broke.
Rudra looked at the scoreboard once.
Then back at the bowler.
No frustration.
No outward regret.
Emotional Control
Lv 05 (95 / 100 EXP) → (97 / 100 EXP)
When his wicket finally fell—trying to manufacture pace where none existed—the match slipped beyond reach.
NITK lost.
Quietly.
No collapse.
No drama.
Just the truth of a slow pitch and a drying partnership.
In the dressing room, no one spoke for a while.
Someone finally said, "You played well."
Rudra nodded.
He knew.
He also knew what the system would record.
Match Result: Loss — No Result EXP
But effort had still left its mark.
Shot Selection
Lv 01 (24 / 100 EXP) → (31 / 100 EXP)
Decision Speed
Lv 04 (33 / 100 EXP) → (37 / 100 EXP)
Top scorer.
Losing cause.
Record: 1–1.
Rudra tied his laces again, slower this time.
Losses didn't give EXP.
But they sharpened judgment.
And on pitches like this, judgment was everything.