When i say I'm obsessed with Rohit and Jaddu, I mean OBSESSED.
Also i had some time in my hand so I decided to channel my energy into the right direction and voila this os.
I hope you enjoy!
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India tour of Srilanka, 2009
"Jaddu stop feeling guilty." Virat ordered, "I don't want to imagine a miserable you."
"I'm not miserable." he sniffed but his words didn't seem convincing enough even to himself.
Virat sighed as he weighted down on the situation, Jaddu was debuting for India. He was finally going to fulfill his mother's dream but instead of enjoying every bit of it he was cooped in his room feeling depressed for debuting on Virat's place.
Virat had talked to Mahi bhai previously to get the insides and he had very languishly told him how Jaddu only talked to him when and if in dire need and only responded with meek 'yes sir' 'no sir'.
Virat knew he needed to do something to get Jaddu comfortable in the new team and when Virat thought of 'comfort' only one person came to his mind except Mahi bhai.
.......
"Rohit I need you to something for me."
"you crazy bastard, why are you calling me at 3 in the morning and why are you up at this time?" Rohit muttered in concern before tossing to the other side.
Virat grinned, "because I love irritating you and what anguishes you more than waking up at ungodly hours."
"I swear to God Virat if this is one of your cheap pranks--" Rohit started furiously.
"No I really need your help this time." Virat confessed sincerely halting his shatabdi express.
"okay, what is it?" Rohit asked calmly before finally sitting and rubbing the sleep off his eyes.
"I want you to befriend Jaddu--"
"Who? Ravindra Jadeja?"
Virat scrunched his nose, he hadn't had anyone call Jaddu 'Ravindra' in years.
"yes and please call him Jaddu. He's been my friend since the U19 days. He's crazy once you get to know him but he's also like you in a way, he finds it hard to express himself and since he's new to the team, he won't speak even if he's struggling. His mother wanted him to become a cricketer and play for the country but unfortunately she passed away before you know." Virat sighed in distress.
Rohit nodded his head in understanding. He understood where Virat was coming from. He (Virat) had experienced the same with his father and he knew how tough it was.
Rohit had talked to Jaddu only a couple of times and now he felt bad for not approaching him when he looked so out of the place.
"I talked to Mahi bhai but again I think he needs someone our age to be friends with first."
"don't worry. I got you." Rohit assured, "what does he likes the most?"
"umm horses and anything horror oh he loves to talk about Jamnagar, please don't fall into his trap of 'you know what happened in Jamnagar' stories."
Rohit thought for a second or two before his eyes gleamed, "perfect, I think I know what to do, I'll keep you updated."
......
For a change Rohit was early for the team bus.
The team flooded the lobby, some of them already creating ruckus, howling loudly (Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Virendra Sehwag).
Some understood the importance of peace in the morning and walked much more sanely (Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar).
But all of them expressed extreme surprise when they saw him by the team bus very early by Rohit Sharma standards but none of them knew he had an important mission in hand.
Rohit tsked in disdain when almost everyone arrived except for the one he was waiting for.
His eyes then caught onto MS talking almost explaining something to a very awkward looking Jadeja.
Mahi bhai's eyes met Rohit's before they widened slightly in amazement.
"today on time Shanna, you alright?" he teased.
Jaddu sighed in relief when the whirling attention shifted away from him before watching in amusement a dramatics performance from Rohit.
"kya yaar bhai aap bhi. I am always on time."
MS diligently raised his brow at him.
"well most of the times..... okayyyy sometimes but your Cheeku set 23 alarms on my phone so much so I wanted to rip my hair off." Rohit huffed.
MS chuckled as he turned back to Jadeja but before he could continue Rohit suddenly but in smoothly, "bhai I want to sit with Jad today."
Jaddu looked at him in slight alarm, first at the uncalled nickname and also at the fact that Rohit wanted to sit with him, why on earth? They weren't even friends.
MS looked at him in surprise too but when Rohit blinked his eyes reassuringly at him, he smiled back.
He fell in steps with him before continuing, "I have been meaning to talk to you for a while. Virat told me you guys know each other from U19 days."
Jaddu relaxed slightly on finding a common and easy topic to chat on.
"yes we were paired up as roommates and I..."
"and?"
"I threw a rubber snake at him." Jaddu completed slightly embarrassed.
Rohit stared at him for a second before he burst out laughing, "oh my God that's amazing, his face would have been worth watching."
"it was." Jaddu grinned, "it's safe to say he woke up the entire hotel."
"good job, he needed somebody to keep him in line otherwise all he does is keeping gloating about the mastermind prankster he is." Rohit thumped him on the back as he snickered.
"hey next time you and I, we could prank him together, what say?" Rohit suggested brightly.
"I would love that." Jadeja smiled at him.
.......
"want to do something thrilling?" Rohit asked abruptly.
They had been talking for the past two days nonstop, sitting together in the team bus. Rohit had even fallen asleep at night in Jaddu's room while watching a movie.
MS smiled in relief when he saw the two stuck together even on the 3rd day gossiping about something animatedly on the breakfast table.
"what is it?" Jaddu asked instantly.
"Yuvi pa is planning to go to some club today, I forgot the name but I heard there's a nice horror house in the same mall. We could tag along I have never been to one." He confessed.
"A horror house?" Jaddu's eyes twinkled, "we have to. Do you know what happened in Jamnagar once?"
Rohit had gotten the shrewd warning from Virat to not entertain Jaddu and his Jamnagar tales but the way his eyes were shining brighter than diamond he did not have a heart to say no to him.
..........
"I'm never going back there." Rohit shivered as he struggled to keep the food down in his stomach.
"that was amazing." Jaddu grinned as he skipped on his steps, "but I wish they had made the skeleton more spooky."
Rohit looked at him disbelief before shaking his head vigorously to get the videos of the skeleton screaming in his face and him screaming back at it
"Rohit."
Rohit glanced up to see Jaddu looking at him empathetically, "are you okay?"
"yeah." Rohit gave him a half strained smile, mentally preparing himself to keep his lights on the entire night and play the human chalisa on repeat.
"I know something that might help you." Jadeja pointed towards the club Yuvi pa was currently at.
Rohit gulped, "I have never had drinks in my life."
"then you're with the safest person." Jaddu assured.
........
"tere jesa yaar kaha, kaha esa yaaranaaaaaa....."
Rohit sang tipsily with his arm looped around Jaddu's neck, both of them giggling like kids as they tumbled in the corridor together.
MS looked at them baffled and looked at an exasperated Yuvi who was making sure the knuckleheads reached their rooms safely.
"inko sambhalte sambhalte meri utar gayi." Yuvi complained when he spotted his best friend.
MS rolled his eyes at him before focusing back on the kids.
"Mahi bhaiiii." Rohit twinkled as he stretched towards him and slumped against his shoulder while still holding Jaddu's hand.
"Jad look, he's Mahi bhai and he's best so don't be scared of him and tell him everythingggg." Rohit mumbled before his words turned incoherent.
Mahi bhai's anger instantly melted away when Jad came forward to rest his head on Rohit's arm and continued, "okay I'll tell you everything Mahi bhai."
.........
"Jaddu you idiot I'm never going out with you ever." Rohit glared at him as he took big gulps of the lemonade which MS had passed to him.
Jaddu sat with his own head in his hand as he tried to get over the surging hangover.
"thank God we don't have a match today otherwise I would have skinned you two myself." MS threatened with words but his actions seemed quiet contradictory when he threaded his fingers through Jaddu's hair to soothe as he leaned more onto MS.
MS' phone blared and he picked it up instantly before a voice screeched from the other end," Mahi bhai where are Rohit and Jaddu? Both of them aren't picking up my phone."
"well both of them are sitting in front of me with their eyes barely open, horrible hangover."
"woah! Rohit and drinking? Jaddu has managed to do something I couldn't in the past year, are they already best friends?" Virat joked.
MS looked at Rohit now patting Jaddu's head to comfort the poor lad.
"maybe."
.........
"you two are becoming a menace to the society." Virat cried while looking at his pink colored hair in bewilderment.
Jaddu and Rohit hified as they stood at leaning on the door as they grinned cheshire.
"Jinsky look at them." Virat demanded in helplessness.
"well to be honest you started it......" he started but when Virat's eyes turned puppy he had to agree with him.
"I'll get to you." He threatened them fiercely.
"we'll see."
.........
'you're strong.' Rohit actioned when Jaddu looked up towards the dressing room.
"you did your best." Rohit muttered as he patted his back when a devastated Jadeja came to sit beside him.
Both of them tried to comfort each other with their presence. They knew they will he okay.
..........
"YES." Rohit whooped in the air as Jaddu hit the winning 4 against the New Zealand, the same team which gave them nightmare last WC.
This was nowhere a redemption for loosing onto the semis but it felt good to for once win against them and also end the 20 years loosing strike against them.
Virat and him hugged as happiness coerced through their veins.
"that was some warrior shot." Rohit grinned as he caught alongside Jaddu as he reentered the dressing room with Shami.
"well I'm a warrior."Jaddu puffed his chest before he swinged his bat like a sword.
Both of them burst out laughing," do you know there was this one ghost Lalaji who lived in my room---"
"chup kar yaar Jad."