In this MS stayed as mentor even after few months of ODI captaincy okay? okay. My dumbass got confused in timelines so please don't mind some of things will not match the original timeline.
I hope you don't get disappointed.
Oh and I know many of you have been waiting for this update, I have seen PLENTY of comments/messages for this update which I am genuinely thankful for and at the same time I really hope you leave in-line comments too... It's hard to distinguish if the update was good enough or not... just leave some feedback good or bad It's okay I won't mind, this is safe place for all views (except anti Virat/ anti mahirat views)
Small Recap- Last chapter was about Virat's ODI captaincy, after some time from that fiasco, MS goes to meet Sourav in BCCI office cause MS is frustrated with everything happening around and with Virat.
Finally before you start this one,
This might sound a bit rude so please avoid reading if you love BCCI more than you love Virat. Thank you.
Font- MSD, Virat, Sourav Ganguly, Chetan Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Sonu, Rohit
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BCCI Building
Third Person POV:
Mahi broke the hug immediately after Chetan left his eyesite. For some strange reason, Sourav didn't quite catch up on that either. On realising that the person in front of him has really changed to the extent that he can't recognize his own younger brother's mood, Mahi chuckled humourlessly to himself. He remembered the bitter truth his Sachin paaji told him after the controversy with Bhaji came out in the news, which for obvious reasons broke Mahi's heart.
"Mahi, this cricket is just like any other profession or sport. You'll form good bonds with your team, but in the long run, not every one of them would stay the same. And as much as it hurts you to think about it or to accept it, it'll be your truth one day. I'll lie to you if I say only teammates of your age change, because that's not the truth! Even your seniors change and sometimes even your juniors. You'll have a handful of people who'll stay exactly the same and would stand the test of time. Baaki sab change honge and you can't do anything about it. That's just how life works."
Sourav hears Mahi's chuckle and asks him as he sits down on his chair, "Kya hua Mahiya? What made you laugh?"
Sourav's question broke Mahi's train of thoughts, bringing him back to reality. "Huh? Ha kuch nahi dada bas vo bachon ka joke yaad aaya! Aapko nahi pasand aayega chodo na"
Sourav shook his head at the reply and bought that lie as he further enquired. "Toh aaj achanak finally apne Dada ki yaad kaise aayi mere Mahiyan ko?"
MS could hear the fondness and care in Sourav's voice, which made his heart drop into his stomach. Why didn't Virat get this care, too? What was his fault? Being Mahendra Singh Dhoni's successor? Or being the only one whom everyone relies on to win the match? MS sighs unconsciously before replying.
"Kya dada aap bhi!!! Mein toh bas yuhi aa gaya aapse milne!"
"Acha kiya," Saurav replied.
Mahi smiled and questioned further, "Aap batao Dada, kaise ho aap?? Kaise chalu hain sab kuch? Team kaisi hain, bache kaise hain, mera cheeku kaisa hain! Kaise chalu hain BCCI ka karobaar?" Mahi swinged in his chair side to side as he asked this question.
On mention of those words, Saurav visibly stiffened. He tried to mask his stiffness and smiled awkwardly at MS who quickly understood the change in his mood because unlike his dada Mahi was still the same Mahiya who would read his mentor's moods and face easily like reading a book. A moment of silence passed between them and MS raised his eyebrows confused cause he was not expecting this to be so easy and just how he expected, Sourav tried to deviate the topic when he finally answered with a sigh.
"Kya batau, no one warned me about the amount of paperwork BCCI puts the president through! You would think that as BCCI president, i won't be forced to read those documents again. But alas! Apparently, every document captain signs or reads first is to be reviewed by me and mind you, Mahi. i can't tell my personal assistant to read them either! How tiring and annoying is that!!! Baaki it is okay i guess, I mean i at least get to watch every and any match from VIP box or they record special highlights for me and if match is getting intresting i get a call to watch it! Which well aaj kal kam aate hain" He whispered last sentence hoping MS would not hear it but unfortunately for him, MS heard the sentence and understood the demeaning tone as well.
Mahi took deep breaths and smiled forcefully while curling his fingers into a tight fist to curbe his annoyance and replied, "Are re re kya bure haal hain! Remind me never to accept this position EVER!!!! EW no nah bilkul nahi! Aap bano aur president president aapkon hi majja aa raha tha ismein starting mein ab kya ro rahe ho! Mein toh na karu BCCI official business vapis"
"You wish you can run from this BCCI business as quickly as you want, mister! Ab toh aap khud vapis aaye ho as a mentor bhul gaye?" Sourav teasingly asked. To which MS smiled remembering the time Virat gave him this news and happiness in the team member's voice when they video called after the official announcement.
"Vo kaise bhul sakta hun! Jab galti se bhul bhi gaya toh cheeku mujhe mere ghar se khichke layega ground pein! Oh cheeku se yaad aaya aapne aadha hi question answer kiya! Team aur cheeku vo sab kaise perform karre hain vo batao na!"
"Are? Mein kya star sports segment dikhta hun tujhe? Perform toh almost sabhi acha karre hain! Aur alag kya batau?" Sourav tried to deflect again. MS couldn't help but wonder why he was even talking about the team or Virat, such as a chore for BCCI president, so he tried again.
"Ha vo sab pata hain but i mean ke officials ke saath, aapke saath, BCCI ke saath kaise chal raha hain sabka"
"Ha vo bhi thik hi chal raha hain. Youngsters dheere dheere jaise jaise acha perform kar rahe hain vaise unke chances hum bada rahe hain, Kuch zhagde and disagreements hoti hain ya ab you can say hoti thi ex-captain and directors ke bich but vo toh normal Hai even you know. Bas Ro ka ab tak problem nahi hua hain, lets see aage. Baaki kya, kisi player ne kuch kaand kiya nahi hain toh except ex- i mean Virat and Ro no one interacted utna humare saath. Vahi dono the. Aur dono ko ek saath handle karna kitna mushkil hain even you know. Toh kabhi kabhi, we used to divide meetings in half a half mein ro and virat dono and ek mein sirf either ro ya majorly Virat. Bas aur kuch nahi. Oh aur dono tere pein gaye hain, agar zhid leke baith gaye toh samjo khatam.. ek baar ke liye Virat sun bhi leta tha kabhi kabhi, uska decision change nahi karta tha kuch vo baat alag hain but Ro? Na!" Souarv finally replied.
MS sat on his chair, attentively listening to his Dada talk about his favorite juniors. For outsiders it may seem ke he was not biased towards anyone, which he probably was not, but MS couldn't notice the forced cheerfulness everytime he mentioned Vi or Ro, only difference was that he called Ro by his pet name but Virat by his name or worse 'ex-captain'...
'When, why and HOW did things turn so bad??'
"Hmm.. so aapka mere do anmol ratanoke saath sab acha chal raha hain?" Mahi enquired suspiciously.
"Ha.. of course! Aise sawal kyun puch raha hain?"
MS chuckle humourlessly at that quick answer, "Nahi vo aapka unke naam leneka tareeka jara... umm ghusse vala? Nahi umm jara jyaada weird laga... issiliye bas confirm karr raha tha! Agar kuch ho toh mere bache samajh ke maaf kardo unko aur bhul jaao! Dil ke bure nahi hain dono bas kabhi kabhi ho jaata hain unse bhi aur khaskarke cheeku agar vo kabhi bhadke toh usko seriously mat lena! Cheeku sabko chances deneki try karta hain thoda emotional hota hain vo, par trust me agar kisi player ke liye agar vo ladh raha hain iska matlab off field ussi player ko vo motivate karr raha hain and he believes in that player! Bohot acha captain hain cheeku! Aur Ro ko handle karna is not hard, jo Cheeku suggest karr raha hain vo sun lo, Ro aur vo unn dono ka already discussion hua rehta hain and ek ko agar na bologe toh dusra pakka zidd leke baithega! Mere bache mazze lene ke liye nahi karte kuch unn dono ke liye cricket aur teamse badh kar kuch nahi hain! Khud kitne bhi problems mein ho par Cheeku ke liye uske team members pehle aate hain unn ke liye vo kuch bhi karega aur Ro janta hain kab kis keliye kitna ladhna hain he's also first priority is team! Aur Cheeku bohot-"
"AHHH! Cheeku, Cheeku, Ro, CheeKu, Bache, chup karega tu? Koi bache nahi hain vo log! 30+ hain dono! Itna support mat kar! Aur kya team team laga rakha hain? Board meetings mein team ke liye ladhna sirf ek captain ka kaam nahi hota! PITCH pein perform aur guide karna captain ka kaam hota hain! Jo tera 'Cheeku' KYAHI karr raha hain tujhe-"
"Kya karr raha hain matlab? Bat ko Ball na milna uske haat mei hain kya?"
"Nhi toh kiske haat mein hain? Agar achese practice karega, training karega, diet-"
"HAHAHAHAHHHAHAAH!!! ACHI Practice? ACHI Training? ACHA diet? HAHHHAHHAAAHAHHA!!! JIS bande ne ye sab parameters sabse pehle seriously liye pure team mein aur JIS bande ko dekhke PURI KI PURI TEAM infact ek GENERATION ko FITNESS ke EFFECTS samje uske baare mein ye bol rahe ho aap?"
"Vo-"
"Aur ha nahi ban rahe runs toh? Aapka steep phase nahi aaya? Sachin paaji ka steep phase nahi aaya? MERA steep phase nahi aaya? Rohit ka steep phase nahi aaya? Rahul bhai? Sonu? Yuvi? Sunny paaji? Sehwag paaji? Azhar sir, Hum sab ke steep phases nai aaye? HAR roj, HAR SAAL, EVERY. TOURNAMENT, ALL. FORMATS. KIS. PLAYER. ke HUMESHA HUMESHA ke liye constantly growing phase rahe hain ha?? KIS. KE? EK. NAAM batao jo ODI, TEST, T20, IPL, SAB. FORMATS MEIN EK HI TIME PEIN as A CAPTAIN, BATSMAN, and FIELDER banke khel raha Ho , uska EK BHI BAAR STAGNANT STEEP PHASE NAHI AAYA BATAO" Mahi roared calmly.
"Bat se nahi ho raha toh? Is he not diving and running on the ground? Fielding nahi Karr raha kya? Ha? Aur captainship? KYA, ha? AUR KYA kare??? Agar individual performances kharab hain toh SIRF Virat wrong kaise?? ONE TO ONE GAME HAIAN YE? Team mein players kitne hain? 1 ya 11? 1 nahi khel raha toh baaki ke 10? Aur agar sabka issue ho raha hain toh captain ki galti hain ya coach and baaki management? HA?" MS asked again.
"Asli problem kya hain pata hain? Mein batata hun! ASLI problem is NOT Virat as a captain or a player ASLI problem is NOT Virat! ASLI problem is NOT the player who is giving his everything everytime!ASLI problem is this management ASLI problem is-" he was about to continue but the silence in the room got interrupted by his phone which was vibrating and making noise in his pocket.
Truth to be told, MS was SHAKING with anger. He wanted to SCREAM out the profanities, but he knew this would eventually just increase problems, so he tried to calm himself down. He kept glaring at Sourav while looking into his eyes. Though ironically enough, the BCCI president couldn't hold his gaze for a long time. He breathed in deeply while glaring straight at Ganguly and then took his phone out and without looking at the caller id he answered the call, he wanted to get back at his so-called 'DADA' for his hypocrisy without getting interupted.
"Hel-" he tried to greet hurriedly, but before MS could continue, he heard his caller talking to someone in the background, "Ha Ziva bache mein dila dunga vo aap You trust your chachu, na?"
The moment MS heard the voice, it was as if someone whiplashed him and brought him back to reality. He sat their listening to Virat convince his Ziva about something. Virat probably quickly realised that his call has been picked but those few moments where he was talking in background were enough to make MS realise exactly WHAT he could have done or said in the heat of the moment. He stood up from his chair and excused himself out of the cabin.
Suddenly he remembered Sonu's words, "Mahi baat karlena but sambhalke sab kuch! Mujhe pata hain ghussa aaya hain aur valid bhi hain, but remember the position and power that man holds right now. Jo kuch bhi bologe remember Ro is the captain now so Ro ki captaincy and Cheeku ka selection ab unfortunately unke haat mein hain. Dudh ka jala vali situation already hain toh aage fuk fuk ke chaas pina okay?"
"Arey bhai! Utha liya ? Ayeing? Oh, anyways , SOOOOOOOOOO SORRY. Aap jaldi se batao ke phulke ya puri?" Virat hurriedly asked as if knowing he was somewhere important.
"Arey bache koi nai-" MS tried to explain
"Na na na na aap vo sab baadmein bolo! Phele bolo Phulke ya puri?" Virat insisted
"Sabji kya hain?"
"Do sabji hain ek Aalo ki aur ek mutter panner"
"Then Phulke"
"Yass! Knew it!"
"Aur Litthi-Chokha ya Kadhi Khichdi?"
"Tu ye puch raha hain?"
"KNEW IT!!! ANUSHKA CHALO 500 NIKALO!! SAB RIGHT THA MERA!!!" Virat yelled out in happiness, which made MS smile as he shook his head in disbelief. "Yes, chef bhaiya, jo meine bola vahi banao! Kadhi Khichdi! Ha! Yes, ji!" MS heard virat instruct his chef.
"Kitna khana banvayega uss bichare se! Hum 3 hi extra hain! Tu toh tera diet ka khayega and Anu healthy post partum vala! Itne sab ki -" MS tried to reason with this Kid.
"LALALAALALL, I can't hear you, bhaiya!! Aur aap ab tak kya kar rahe ho call pein?? SHOO SHOO, jaao!!! Sourav sir se baat karo bhai!!! Chalo by -" Virat shooed him and seriously asked him to leave.
"Ha ha jaa raha haun by -" Before Virat could cut the call, MS realised the situation, so he quickly asked.
"
Ek minute ruk! TUJHE kaise pata??"
"Uhh vo- call aya tha..."
"Kiska? So-"
"Vo Chetan Sharma ka-" Virat whispered, knowing the kind of reaction his answer would get from his Mahi bhai.
"WHAT???" MS exclaimed not knowing whether to thank stars that he himself didn't blow their cover or to get angry because how dare that fucker Chetan Sharma!!! One doesn't need to be genius to understand exactly WHY that piece of shit must have called Virat!
"ISKI MA KI- Cheeku sun mein- vo-" MS quickly tried to explain however his Cheeku beat him to that.
"Arey arey bhai!! Koi nai!!! Koi nai! BCCI president se pehle vo aapke Dada hain bhai! Aap tension mat lo everything is fine! Ram ke chole bhaturo ki kasam! OH AUR i didnt call you jaan bujhke ha! Anu challenged me to guess your fav foods and demaded confirmation from you so- OKK BOHOTTTT TIME LE LIYA MEINE AB BYE", Virat hurriedly explained in very steady voice, indicating he genuinely meant it.
"Koi nai bache! No harm done! Byeee! I'll be back in few hours"
"Okayy bhaiii byee"
MS took deep breath his anger which calmed down a bit at the start of the call was almost elevated again by the end, but then he took deep breaths and reentered the cabin.
'BCCI president hone se pehle vo aapke Dada hain bhai' Virat's voice rings in his ears as he looks at his 'Dada' who looked shocked and in deep thought as he looked at his desk. MS decided there's no use of running away from this situation. Yes he won't say more, he has already said enough it's not like this person in front of him is gonna get any concession anyways. But now he is not gonna run away like a coward as if it's his mistake. No.
He sat on the Chair in front of BCCI president again and looked into President's eyes. Sourav looked up from desk at his Mahiya. His eyes held expectations which surprised MS and yet it was also nothing new for him. His senior was notoriously known to not accept other's reactions well.
"Tu-tujhe kuch kehna nahi hain? To rectify-" Sourav hesitantly asked.
"Aap mujhsey sorry ki umeed kar rahe hain? Seriously? Do I look like I would apologise? Aur kyun karu? Sach bolne ke liye kabse Apologise karne padhne laga?" MS countered
Sourav sat there wide eyed and blinked at this response. After few moments of silence, Sourav whispered, "Toh ye karne aaya tha tu? Mujhse milne nahi? But ye sab karne... Tu bhi badal gaya Mahi.."
The dejected tone of his senior did hurt MS, it did feel disheartening to see those vulnerable and lost expressions on Dada's face, but these didn't compare at all to the helplessness he has seen and heard from his kids.
"Mein toh aapse hi milne aaya tha dada, aur mere BACHOke baaremein baat karne... jaise hum humesha karte the... Badala mein nahi hun.. Badal toh aap gaye hain"
"Dekh I'm already tired of all unnecessary drama your juniors are doing and ab tu bhi... tu yaha iss sabse kya prove karna chahta hain Mahi? Siddhe siddhe-"
"Drama? Prove? Dada! Are You listening to yourself? Kya bol rahe ho ye sab? Apne juniors ki tareef karna and side lena kabse planning and plotting hone lagi? Ke I'm proving something? I'm proving nothing. I don't have to prove shit. Not to you not to anyone else. I believe in my kids and I KNOW their potential. I don't need to do shit to prove or anything to you or ANYONE in this world. Mein sidhi baateinhi karr raha hun ke dont put too much pressure on my kids they are giving their best but-" MS really got annoyed again but his rant got interupted by Sourav laughed bitterly which confused MS.
"Aaj tak mujhe bichmein na tokne vala MERA BACHA aaj mujhe at least 5 baar tok chuka hain, mujhse kabhi unchi aawaj mein baat na karne vala bacha pichle 15 mins se chila raha hain, humesha mujhse validation maangne vala aaj yaha 'I don't need to prove shit to you' bol raha hain aur badal mein gaya hun... Right Mahi? Next kya? Mahi bula sakta hun ya tujhe bhi MS bulana padega-"
"Dada??? This is NOT about you! Aap apne baaremein kyun bana rahe ho iss discussion ko? This is about-"
"EXACTLY. THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOUR JUNIORS EITHER. IT IS ABOUT THIS COUNTRY'S CRICKET AND IT'S ON GOING DOWNFALL! IT IS ABOUT HAVING ONE FUCKING CAPTAIN IN ALL FORMATS FOR FUCKS SAKE! ITNISI BAAT SAMJA SAMJA KE THAK GAYA MEIN!!" Sourav snapped at MS. At his statement Mahi blinked in disbelief and raised his eyebrow rethinking whether what he heard was true or not...
"Ah what-" MS stammered
Sourav took deep breath and spoke,"I am concerned only and only with country's cricket. This game is more important to me! Unfortunately I was dumb enough to think that even for you game must be more important! But no! You are standing here defending players instead of letting me take action to preserve this game! Kya halat hui hain dekha Hai na? GAME bachna chahiye Mahi! That's my ONLY concern! Har format ke liye alag alag captain karte rakhe and jis tarah sab khel rahe hain vaise hi sab khelte rahe toh unfortunately aisa khehna nahi chahiye par top 4 mein se humara naamonishaan mit jaayega!! Abhi game se bade players banke ghum rahe hain! Kisiko seriousness nahi hain! Khaskarke Virat ko! Usko lagta hain jo vo kare aur bole vahi sahi! Jabki, na he is playing and all his decisions are-"
"Ok, okay, bas! You know what? I am done, " Saying so MS got up from his chair and continued, "You started correct, but in the end, you brought your own beliefs and emotions AGAIN. Yes, game bachna chahiye mera aur mere bacho ka bhi VAHI concern hain. Aur captaincy? Split captaincy MEINE aur CHEEKU ne SAALO ki thi! 3 saal iss desh ke red ball team ke liye alag aur white ball team ke liye alag captain the ! AND YOU KNOW WHAT? WE. FUVKING. NAILED. IT. Split captaincy has NEVER been a problem! Virat ODI and TEST sambhal leta and Ro T20! KOI! PROBLEM NAHI HOTA! But abhi na aapse baat karne ka KOI faayda nahi hain. You have already made up your mind. Mere paas itna bhi free time nahi hain aur aap abhi bache nahi ho!"
MS walked towards the door and turned to say one last thing before he leaves, "Agar aapko sachmein lagta hain ke desh mein cricket as a game, Virat Prem Kohli aur Rohit Gurunath Sharma ke bagair aap bachapaaoge... Aur agar aap sachmein maante hain ke iss sab mein Virat Prem Kohli ki seriousness is Game ko leke ya deshke liye thodi bhi kam hui hain and that he is in team just to hog the position....toh, you don't deserve to sit on that position. If you don't know that Virat is the anchor that saves this sinking boat, then maybe YOU are surrounded by pests or thinking everything wrong. Jo puri duniya ko dikh raha hain agar vo aapko nahi dikh raha matlab aap ek lens se ye sab Dekh rahe ho aur aapko dikhayi jaa rahi lens ke bahar bhi duniya hain aur maybe vahi sachi duniya hain dada. I respect you, but aapke abhi ke decisions ARE biased and not for the country. Ab aap ye maano ya na maano." Saying so MS almost left, after taking few steps he came back and opened the cabin door to say something.
"Ek aakhri baat, mere liye mere log bohot kimti hain. Cheeku MERA junior hain, he IS like my kid. Uske saath koi batameezi meine na captain hote hue sehen ki, na ek senior player hote hue aur na hi ab retired player hote hue sehen karunga. Uske liye meri insult equals uski insult and mere liye bhi uski insult equals meri insult. As I said, I respect you a lot, please mujhe ye respect barkar rakhne ke mauke do kam karne ke nahi"
Sourav kept staring at the door even after Mahi left through it and left his vision. He doesn't know how many minutes passed as he stared at the door before he was brought back to the earth by someone snapping their fingers in front of his eyes. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths before opening them to see who dared to do that action in front of him.
He saw Chetan Sharma with a few of his selection committee members standing their in front of him. He glared at them as he warned strictly, "Agli baar aisi chutki bajai toh humesha ke liye ban kardunga BCCI se samje?"
Everyone in front of him recoiled and gulped in anticipation. They all already knew shit is gonna get crazy but still joined Chetan anyway.
"Sorry, sir! Nahi hoga aage se! Sir, aap paani piyenge?" Chetan asked with fake sweetness in his voice. Sourav didn't reply, but Chetan forwarded the glass of water regardless. Sourav held the glass while looking at it he asked the group to leave him alone for the day. Everyone in the group nodded and started to leave the cabin.
"Umm sir, If you want shall I ask Dravid sir to visit you? MS met him first so Rahul sir is in good mood maybe he can help.." Chetan dared to suggest. He didn't have any concern for Sourav, he just knew what effect his words will have on Sourav, especially ones that insinuated that MS and Rahul's meething went well unlike theirs.
Sourav on the other hand, again fell prey to Chetan Sharma's mind games. He looked at Chetan and nodded in no. All sadness that he felt slowly turned into anger! How DARE HIS Mahi have good time with Jammy but not him? WHY can't Mahi see beyond his so called kids! Why can't he see how much of horrible influence Virat is on the team! Why can't Mahi see Virat is not doing enough! Why!
'Sir I'm afraid MS would support Virat in all this'
'Oh no! I know my Mahi! He will pick me always. He'll choose me over anyone. Virat is no one in front of me and country! Mahiya will understand!'
Suddenly he remembers the conversation he had few months back with one of the selection committee member. How confidently and proudly he had stated that Mahi will only support him. Sourav chuckles bitterly at the irony of the present state that he was in. He rubs his palms on his face in frustration and leaves the cabin in anger.
He sits in the car and thinks, 'Aaj tujhe mera concern nahi samaj raha aur meri kadar nahi hain Mahi, but mujhe pata hain ke you will understand and support me in long run! Tu galat hain I am not doing this due to ANY bias! Biased toh TU hain jo sach ko dekhke andekha kar raha hain aur uss Virat ke baatomein aake uske liye aur Rohit ke liye apne Dada pein ghussa karr raha hain! Virat agar tera apna hain toh mein kon hun? Itne jaldi kitne asaanise bol diya sab kuch! Ek baar bhi meri side nahi suni aur Im the one who has made up his mind already! Mein bacha nahi hun TU bhi nahi hain Mahi! Aur tera vo Cheeku toh bilkul nahi!!! Kya kya patti padayi hain usne aur kaise padhai hain bhagwaan jaane! AAJ TAK JO NAHI KIYA TUNE VO AAJ TUNE KAR DIYA MAHI! KYUN KYUN!!!!' Unconsciously he gripped the steering wheel VERY hardly.
'MERE intentions iss position ko leke UNNPEIN DOUBT KIYA!? MUJHPEIN DOUBT KIYA MAHI!!!!! KAISE!!!!!!!' He slammed his hand on steering wheel trying to get his frustration out of his body.
'Koi nai. They'll pay for this. You will understand me. Mere hi Presidency ke under team strong banegi! Mein banaunga strong team jaise pehle bhi kiya tha! Mere jaise strong team banana kisiko nahi aata! I'll prove it to you and those two! They'll HAVE to listen to my suggestions only!' Thinking so he took deep breaths and left the building in his car.
That day MS went and spent time with his and Virat's family. Virat didn't question him about anything rather gave him understanding smile when they were finally alone. Both of them played with their kids and had fun session of home games with their wives.
Few Days after that visit
During Practice session-
Virat and MS joined the team for the series. As expected by them, environment in dressing room was slightly tense when they entered the room. Virat looked around to see their faces, it was as if they believed or blamed themselves for all the shit that had happened with him. He looks at MS who pats his back softly, encouraging him with a nod and then goes back on the ground. Virat takes deep breath and keeps his coffin near his bench as he sits on it. To be honest even he was nervous but as he promised he would not let this external politics get carried forward into dressing room. He got up and sat next to Rohit near his locker.
"Toh? Break kaisa tha sabka?" He asked trying to lighten up the mood. He could see youngest players almost happily about to speak but then poor kids looked around to see no one talking and kept quiet. Virat sighed at these grown up kids and tried again.
" Itne shaant kyun ho bhai? Maiyat pein aaya hun aise lag raha hain lighten up guys!" Saying so he unconsiously nudged Rohit and looked around again. OH now he realised- he had not acknowledged Rohit so he did exactly that in his own way, "Oh captain bhai chal joke maar and ye mahool thik kar!! Jaldi chal practice karne bhi jana hain! Bhul gaya kya-" Before Virat could tease him more, Rohit who was just looking at his gloves till now looked up and glared at him.
"Tu-" Rohit started agitatedly but then Virat genuienly smiled, that smile was enough to shut Rohit down. Virat then decided words ain't working so he just hugged Rohit.
"Calls pein jo itna gyaan diya tha vo bhool gaya kya-" Virat asked.
"Tu bhool gaya bhool gaya band karega? Aur nahi voh baat nahi hain.. Baat toh alag hain... Voh actually ye mahol kaise thik karu nahi samaj aa raha tha.. Vo bas-" Rohit tried to explain and he hugged Virat tighter unknowingly. Virat smiled at his actions and patted his back conveying that he understands.
"Vi please baat kar le na ye log se please. Openly baat kar, mein juniors ko leke jaata hun, tu baaki sabse baat karle yaar muje darr-" Rohit pleaded softly but before he could complete his sentence he got one smack and Virat broke his hug.
"Abe saale pehli baat toh ye ke ye sab captainship and all ki tension sab ground peinhi chod! Tu captain hoga field mein samja na yaha abhi bhi hum dono Ro aur Vi hi hain!? Ye please please bola na ek aur baar Bat ki kasam aise maarunga na teri!!! Aur kamine TU the Rohitman Sharma hain! Cheeze bhulta hi hain apne aap ko bhi bhool gaya kya?" Virat scolded him sternly and then whisphered, "Saale tu ground pein bowlers se nahi darta inn bachon se kyun fatt rahi hain teri phir? Kya hi kar lenge? Chikhenge? Chilayenge? Insta pein unfollow- Wait vo" Rohit started smacking him the moment he heard the word 'unfollow'.
Virat tried to dodge those attacks and soon they both started laughing and fighting like kids while of course beating and cursing each other. They were brought out of their bubble by some familiar voice coughing and clearing throat. They looked up from their position where Rohit had Virat in headlock, only to find their Mahi Bhai smiling at them yet giving them strict look through eyes, his expressions are difficult to be explained, but both his Ro and Cheeku understood and quickly got back in normal positions. Standing their and looking at his kids for a moment MS felt as if he was transported back to 2013 era, he shook his head getting out of his nostalgia. Rohit quickly got up and took new comers/ youngsters with him to start practicing.
Virat in the dressing room looked at his juniors looking at him like lost puppies and his friends/ batch (?) mates looking anywhere but him. He smiled at them and decided to address the elephant in the room, "Dekho guys, whatever concern you have about whomsoever, be it me or Rohit, just know ke Rohit did NOT betray me or go behind my back to convince anyone ke usse captain banaya jaaye. Same I have ZERO absolutely ZERO problems with Ro being the captain! I am more than happy that he will be leading us from now! He is amazing captain and wonderful leader. I respect him pure dil se. I hope mera reason leke NONE of you would EVER misbehave with Ro, misbehaving with your captain or sabotaging your performance for your personal biases is NOT what I expect from ANYONE of you. Agar kabhi mujhe dil se apna capatin maana hain tumne toh galti se bhi team ko girane ki koshish mat karna, because I WILL take that as a personal insult towards my teachings to you guys as captain!" He sternly said, by end of his speech he strictly looked at KL, and Siraj.
"Aur ek baat, I won't lie or hide because mujhe nahi chahiye ke anyone takes disadvantage of this. Yes ye captaincy ka saara zhamela is due to BCCI and selection committee only. Baaki koi bhi theory sach nahi hain. I hope you will trust my word over outsiders words. I have fought for everyone in this room at least once in team meetings, so I expect you guys to perform and co-ordinate with Ro. Ro dikhayega nahi but vo bohot distrurbed hain! Tum log uski tension ko badhao mat. Uski koi galti nahi hain, so don't balme him. Usko apne hi team mein mehmaan aur paraye jaisa mat feel karao! In the end filhal ke liye bas ek goal hain ke INDIAN TEAM SHOULD BE THE WORLD CHAMPION and of course 2024 World Cup that's it. Samje?" Virat asked as he ended his speech and heard soft 'Yes bhaiya' 'Yes Vi / Veer'
"Good. Aur ha, sabse important baat. Kisi baat ka bura laga ho, kuch puchna ho, KUCH bhi ho hum dono se related, humein pucho DIRECTLY. Hum denge jawab okay?" Everyone nodded in yes. "Cool! Chalo guys lets practice! Majje karenge aaj bohot dino baad! Come on pump up"
And just like that slowly everyone fell back into their regular rhythm. Though KL and Siraj were clinging more on to Virat, hogging his attention throughout the practice, he knew his words have worked through their brains. By the end of the day they felt as if it was just another normal practice and that nothing had really happened. MS stood on the sides looking at the kids happily as he hoped from bottom of his heart that nothing should break this bond and understanding his kids had within the team.
After 3 weeks MS was back at BCCI office to complete my contract ending procedure. Last time he was there it was horrible.. he fought with Sourav and he knew nothing has changed since then... Even that day he went unannounced, as it didn't even feel right to him to even enter that building. 'I won't meet anyone whatsoever' he decided as made his way to documentation section of the building. Soon he signed the papers, submitted them and left the building never looking back.
After 2 months,
Virat's test retirement-
MSD's POV:
One Instagram post, that was it, 7 years of test captaincy and Virat retired from the position via Instagram post, 'Better than you who retired from all formats via one post', My mind supplied. I shook my head in disbelief the day Virat stops adopting my bad habits would be the day I'll get peace. It was shocker for everyone including Rohit, it would be a lie if I say I expected this to be so quickly either, but I can't say that i did not expect it at all. I remember his reasoning for giving up T20 captainship 'I didn't want to let my batsman self suffer more due to my captain self', were his exact words. Virat is looking towards future, towards World Tet Championship and I know all these hard decisions he is taking are to help himself relax and have a comeback as the batsman that he is known for. As much as I love watching him as a captain, I support this decision equally! I know the amount of strength that must have went into this particular decision for him. Virat yearns to play well in test like a thirsty man yearning for water! So if this decision helps him get the comeback that he deserves, everyone should accept it with a smile. Today no one is hurting as much as he is.
I took my phone to call him first but then I changed my mind, this is a milestone that he has completed, he deserves to be able to hold on to my words and have them saved somewhere. Decidedly I chose to call him later and started typing.
Virat's POV:
I was reading some book when I heard my phone go off again. Honestly, at this point I am just staring at the words not reading or understanding a single letter in this book. I took retirement from test captainship almost 3 hours ago. Finally I posted that one post which i was dreading for past few days but today it felt like I had enough strength. In first hour of announcing my captainship retirement, my phone kept ringing, Ro kept calling me, but I didn't answer his calls, I know he are upset, I know he is hurt and most probably even angry at me, but I just couldn't get myself to talk about my decision let alone give reasons for the same to anyone and definetly not to Ro. Sighing I tried to go back to my reading when i heard custom text tone that I had kept specially for one of my favourite humans-
Mahi bhai!!!
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Hehhehe sorry (?)
I hope you liked this update, I was gonna update after writing more but then socha chodo yaar jitna hain utna kar deti hun....
Lols next kab aayega mereko bhi sachi nahi pata but jald hi aayega
Hope you all are doing well
Lots of love <3
Byeee
Thank you for your patience