Match 6 — vs St. Merry's High School
The ground felt smaller.
Not because of the boundaries—but because of the silence.
St. Merry's High School didn't shout.
Didn't celebrate early.
Didn't need to.
They closed space.
Every fielder stood exactly where the ball wanted to go. Every bowler hit the same length again and again, asking the same question until the batter answered wrong.
When Rudra walked in, the scoreboard showed:
NITK: 49 / 4
The crowd murmured.
This was the rivalry match everyone had waited for.
FTS had power.
St. Merry's had patience.
Rudra took guard.
The first ball seamed slightly away. He left it.
The second cut back. He smothered it.
Dot. Dot.
No panic.
No attempt to announce himself.
Focus
Lv 06 (58 / 100 EXP) → (62 / 100 EXP)
The overs passed like this.
Singles earned, not given. Boundaries denied by angles, not effort. Every run felt negotiated, not stolen.
St. Merry's didn't hunt.
They waited.
Rudra waited longer.
Absorbing the Pressure
By the twentieth ball, he was on 14.
No frustration.
Just breath control.
His partner struggled to rotate strike, but Rudra didn't force it. He defended with soft hands, letting the ball die near his feet.
Emotional Control
Lv 05 (99 / 100 EXP) → (100 / 100 EXP)
Threshold reached.
No system message appeared.
But something settled.
Breaking the Rhythm
Then it happened.
The bowler overpitched by half a foot.
Rudra didn't hit harder.
He hit later.
The drive rolled past extra cover, finding the rope before the fielder could cut it off.
One boundary.
Then back to singles.
St. Merry's tightened again.
Rudra adjusted again.
A reverse sweep—not flashy, just placed—forced a field change.
Pressure shifted.
Batting Timing
Lv 01 (88 / 100 EXP) → (94 / 100 EXP)
The bowlers changed ends.
Changed pace.
Changed plans.
None of it rushed him.
Endurance
By ball fifty, sweat soaked his collar. Legs felt heavy. The bat no longer floated—it had weight now.
He stayed.
Stamina
Lv 03 (75 / 100 EXP) → (81 / 100 EXP)
The field finally loosened.
Not because they wanted to.
Because they had to.
A lofted straight drive cleared mid-on—not brute force, but perfect alignment.
Another boundary followed.
Still no celebration.
Still no chase for glory.
The winning runs came quietly.
A push into the covers.
Two runs.
Rudra remained at the crease.
78 (77 balls).*
The scoreboard didn't explode.
The ground exhaled.
The announcement came later.
Man of the Match: Rudra — NITK
Applause followed him back, slower but heavier than noise.
This wasn't domination.
This was endurance under surveillance.
Focus
Lv 06 (62 / 100 EXP) → (68 / 100 EXP)
Stamina — Logged under extended pressure
Emotional Control — Peak maintained
Record: 4–2.
Rudra sat down, legs stretched, hands resting on the bat handle.
This innings wouldn't trend.
It wouldn't be clipped.
But every coach watching knew—
This was what winning looked like when panic was removed.
And in a tournament built on pressure,
That made him dangerous.