Chapter 13: Five out Six times

[Day 5]

Today's training session was relatively uneventful, but I was excited for the opportunity to practise with the batsmen. I knew that I needed to improve my decision-making when it came to selecting which delivery to use. With so many options at my disposal, it could be time-consuming to make a choice. I wanted to make the process feel more natural to me, and the best way to do that was to test everything and evaluate each delivery in different situations. It was a chance to refine my skills and make my delivery selection more intuitive.

Both teams were taking turns for their training sessions and currently, it was Team B's turn. Our team was out in the field. I decided to head over to the training nets where I saw one of the batsmen practising his defence with another bowler. It was a good opportunity for me to observe and learn from their techniques, and maybe even pick up some new strategies for future matches.

"Excuse me, would you mind if I joined in and practised my bowling with you as well? We could switch off every over. What do you say?" I asked them. This was my first time initiating a conversation with my team members and I was a bit nervous but also excited for the opportunity to improve my skills alongside them.

"Sure, no problem. I'm Sachin and he's Rahul," the bowler introduced himself and the batsman. "I saw you bowling in the tryouts. I have to say, you're impressive. I've never seen someone throw that fast." I was relieved and happy that they were welcoming and open to having me join them.

"I'm Vipin, nice to meet you both. I've got a lot to learn, I can only throw fast bowls at the moment, I don't have much technique, I hope I can learn something from you both," I replied. With that, the three of us got ready to start practising together.

Sachin was a spinner and was ready to bowl his over. The right-handed batsman was ready to block and I have to say, both of them were incredibly skilled. Sachin bowled with precision, only making minor mistakes here and there, while the batsman expertly blocked most of the balls. I could tell they were both seasoned players and I suspected they were likely part of the starting roster for our team.

I was next up to bowl, and I prepared to bowl over the wicket. I decided to put more pace into my delivery, as I had been told that I bowl pretty fast. I considered myself a right-arm fast bowler, with a focus on speed over technique. I was ready to give my best.

I wasn't sure what my maximum speed was or how slow I could bowl, so I just focused on putting as much speed into my delivery as possible. Unfortunately, our academy didn't have any sophisticated speedometers or watches that could measure such small increments of time, so I couldn't gauge my progress that way. But I was determined to give my best and improve my skills with every practice.

Rahul, the batsman, was ready, and I retreated for my run-up. I had increased the length of my run-up to 16 steps, as my endurance was quite high and I felt comfortable going for a longer run-up. I focused on my breathing and began my approach, ready to unleash the ball with all my might.

I bowled my first delivery, it was a simple fast ball with all my might, faster than the batsman's swing, and it resulted in an LBW. The batsman's face registered shock, he was surprised by the speed of my delivery. It was a good start, and I was eager to see what more I could do.

"Wow, that was fast," Rahul exclaimed. "At first, I thought Sachin was exaggerating, but that was like woosh. Do that again," he said as he picked up the ball and threw it back in the bucket behind him.

It was a good feeling for me, to know that my fast ball was getting the recognition it deserved. I was motivated to keep improving my skills and surprise the other players with my speed.

"I will, but the element of surprise will be when it comes. So you better be ready," I said with a smile, letting them know that I was determined to make an impact in the upcoming tournament.

"This time, we won't go down that easily." I was eager to show what I could do on the field, and I knew that with hard work and determination, I could help our team to victory.

I completed my run up and this time I bowled a knuckleball which was much slower than my usual slower ball. The batsman was expecting another fastball and swung his bat earlier. This time it was a direct hit. It was a good feeling to know that I was able to surprise the batsman with my variation of delivery.

I also wanted to put into practice what I had learned from my previous epiphany in my bowling. So I bowled a slower full toss followed by a short ball, both of which resulted in caught and bowled. The short ball was slower and didn't have much height, so it met the bat as the batsman was trying to defend by standing straight, resulting in a simple catch. It was satisfying to see that my new techniques were working and I was able to take wickets, and I was excited to keep experimenting.

The same thing happened with the slower full toss. It was pitching out of the line to the offside. Because it was slower and without any pace, the batsman mistimed it and since it was wider, it had no power behind it, making it a very simple catch. It was a good reminder that with proper planning and execution, even a slower delivery can be effective in getting the wicket.

The fifth delivery was an inswinger. The batsman realised that the ball was out of line and much faster than he expected, so he thought of letting it pass. But the sudden swing after the bounce as it turned inward left the batsman in shambles, as he was out once again.

The last delivery was an outswinger. Once again, the batsman thought of letting it pass but was ready to defend it if the ball turned inward but the outswing made it go much wider. In the end, I got him out on five out of six deliveries I bowled, it was a good feeling to know that I was able to take wickets and execute my deliveries with precision.

The last one would have also got him if he had tried to hit it, as the sudden turn would have made it absolutely impossible for him to time it well. It was clear that my skills were improving and my deliveries were becoming more and more difficult for the batsman to predict and time, putting me in a great position to excel in the upcoming tournament.