Section 13 To Reality

After one such bouncer, came a second. Like before he swung himself mid-air to the left and hit the ball to make it go the other way. His back got sprained! The ball anyway went for six, but Suraj gave out a cry.  He stood there, alighting on ground, back bent, his prodigal left hand now out of pocket and touching the back where the lower-middle backbone would be.

Everybody came nearer, sorry that he was hurt, but feeling a bit relieved to see the giant opponent fall. Suraj dropped the bat, spread out his two hands, did back bending and stretching, took deep breadth, and took the bat up! Really it was a question. Wherefrom did Suraj learn all these techniques, including physiotherapy? He did not go to gym, it was evident from the want of artful body-curves, in fact he had a small belly, his personality never showed that he had it in him, and he was quite unsocial. In these few weeks in Mumbai everybody had already made their own friends circle, but Suraj was yet to build one, or join one rather.

It seemed that all knowledge of Cricket and those related to it, including dealing with the bowler's psychology by reading his mind, had at once fulfilled his being. He was good in sports, and he knew it, he also knew his father's side were all good in sports, but he never played to this extent, to this capacity, in such broad spectrum.

Suraj took up the bat and stood again...