Day 1 – Trial Match One – Field Alpha
Morning fog hung over the lush green ground, but tension in the players' chests burned hotter than the sun that hadn't risen yet.
BCCI officials set up Field Alpha — the first testing ground of the Bat and Ball Program.
Today wasn't about style.
Today was about First Blood.
Announcement at 6:00 AM
Coach Deshmukh (on mic):
"Today, you play your first match. 25 vs 25. Random teams. You won't know your teammates. You won't know the bowlers. This is not about winning. This is about watching how you perform with strangers — and under a clock."
Each player would get:
5 overs max to bat
3 overs max to bowl (for bowlers/all-rounders)
All matches recorded, analyzed, and ranked by AI + Mentors
The two matches would run simultaneously — on opposite fields.
Everything was being scored silently.
No cheers. No reactions. No second chances.
Team Blue vs Team Red (Field Alpha)
Aryan Raj was placed in Team Red, batting at No. 4.
His teammates:
Yuvraj Rathore (Opener – aggressive, short-tempered)
Laksh Verma (Middle-order – flashy, unpredictable)
Samarjit Rawal (All-rounder – sharp spinner)
Deep Kalra (Wicketkeeper – impulsive risk-taker)
His opponents:
Sai Menon (Bowler – fast, strategic)
Omkar Shinde (Off-spinner – emotionless)
Iqbal Nawaz (Wicketkeeper-captain – taunting mastermind)
Neel Rao (Opener – consistent, classic strokeplay)
Match Begins
Yuvraj Rathore walks out — and smashes the first ball for six.
Then next ball — bowled by Sai Menon — crashes into his stumps.
"Sit down, hero," Sai mumbles, walking back.
Next two batters fall early.
Score: 23/3 in 4.1 overs.
Now Aryan walks in.
Helmet on. Calm. Completely unreadable.
Iqbal Nawaz smirks behind the stumps:
"New guy. Virat's pick. Let's see your brain win this."
Ball 1: Yorker. Blocked.
Ball 2: Bouncer. Aryan sways.
Ball 3: Off-cutter. Late cut — four.
He doesn't look at the scoreboard.
He doesn't react to applause.
He just breathes and adjusts his gloves.
AI Scoreboard (Staff Room)
Mentors are watching not just stats — but reaction time, eye movement, heart rate, shot timing, and field reading.
Aryan is tracking off the charts in:
Eye focus stability
Late shot adjustment
Defensive judgment accuracy
But emotionally? Flatline. No visible aggression. No "alpha" presence.
Virat (watching):
"He's invisible… and that's dangerous."
Turning Point
With Aryan at 23 off 19 balls, Laksh Verma tries a reverse sweep and gets bowled.
Team Red collapses again. Aryan is left with tailenders.
He begins farming strike. Playing low-risk, smart shots. Turning ones into twos.
Score ends at 113/9 in 20 overs. Aryan unbeaten: 47 (38)
Field Beta Update
In the parallel match, Omkar Shinde dominates with the ball — 3 wickets in 3 overs.
Sai Menon finishes with 2 wickets and 12 dot balls.
Yuvraj Rathore, storming into the dressing room, smashes his bat.
"That guy doesn't even talk! Why does everyone keep looking at him?!"
No one replies.
Not even Aryan.
End of Day – Mentor Evaluation Room
Each player receives a coded performance file. No rankings yet.
Just a voice recording:
"You didn't come here to be liked. You came to be remembered."
Aryan returns to his room. Opens his notebook. Writes:
"Adapt to chaos. Feed on silence."
Next: Chapter 4 – Mind Games Begin