Hey guys 👋🏻
Thank you for choosing to read this story
Who else started laughing at his 'No' in the end? 🙋🏻♀️
Hayee mera dil 🥰
If you like this story then please vote, comment and share with your friends
~~~~~~~
This story is on the request of @Ruchika111222
Here Mahi is a new captain taking on way too many responsibilities which causes him to fall sick after which his big brothers take care of him.
~~~~~~~
It hadn't been very long since the young new captain had been given the responsibility of leading the team across all formats of the game.
During this time the team was also going through some major changes due to sudden retirement announcements and quite a few injuries.
The team had quite a few young players who were still adjusting to the new environment and trying to get more comfortable to playing with their idols.
The task of making the new players feel welcome fell to the young captain, who had barely been playing in the Indian team for a few years.
Since most of the seniors were either injured or they only played test matches, none of them were around to help the captain.
The seniors currently with the team tended to behave like youngsters themselves and ended up making their captain's life even more miserable.
~~~~~~~
The ODIs were just about to end and in about a week's time the Indian team was supposed to play the test series against their opponents.
A few senior players were making their way to the team hotel, excited to catch up with their teammates and play some cricket after a long period.
Two best friends were travelling together, feeling extremely excited to meet all their younger brothers and also the new kids who had just joined the squad.
One of them says, "Jammy, kitna mazaa aayega na iss baar sab se milke. They all will be so excited to spend time with us. Yeh time toh Dadi bhi nahi hai toh sab humse hi chipke rahenge."
Jammy Bhai smiles and replies, "Yeh baat toh bilkul sahi boli tune Sachin. But I really hope they acted a little maturely when dealing with all the new kids coming in."
Sachin Paaji shoots him a look and asks, "Do you really think they will ever act maturely?"
Jammy Bhai replies, " I can hope. Kuch nahi toh Mahi ki help karne ke liye hi shayad. That poor kid already has too much to deal with."
Sachin Paaji says, "Arre Jammy, Mahi sab kuch sambhaal lega. He's always been more mature and level headed compared to the others."
Jammy Bhai replies, "That's true but the others can still help him. Woh bechara aakhir kitna kaam akele karega?"
Sachin Paaji says, "Ab hum aa gaye hai na toh hum hi help kar denge uski."
Jammy Bhai smiles and nods in agreement knowing that they might just be the only people who would genuinely help their mature kid.
~~~~~~~
The seniors reach the hotel only to be jumped on by their youngsters.
Sonu asks, "Bhai, aap logo ne bataya kyu nahi ki aap log aaj aane wale hai?"
Jammy Bhai replies, "I think Mahi was informed about our travel plans."
Sachin Paaji adds, "Hum toh tum sabko surprise dene wale the lekin manager ne Mahi ko bata diya."
Yuvi says in a scandalised tone, "Mahi ko pata tha ki aap log aaj aane wale hai aur usne humko nahi bataya. Aur toh aur yeh baat pata hone ke baad bhi woh aap logo se milne tak nahi aaya."
Jammy Bhai sternly replies, "Yuvi, enough. Mahi has a lot on his plate right now. Did any of you even offer to help him?"
Sonu sincerely says, "Bhai, maine poochha tha lekin Mahi ne mana kar diya yeh bolke ki woh sab sambhaal lega. Lekin baaki sab toh bas uska kaam badha rahe hai, especially Yuvi Pa."
Jammy Bhai pinches the bridge of his nose and mutters, "That's what I was afraid of."
Sachin shoots Yuvi a look and asks, "Agar help nahi karni toh kaam kyu badha rahe ho uss bechare ka?"
Yuvi whines, "Paaji, aap bhi ab uss gadhe ki side mat lo. Usko sab akele karna hai toh karne do. Aur hum toh bas thodi masti karte hai lekin Mahi bhadakne lagta hai."
Jammy Bhai says, "Achha ab jo ho gaya usko chhodo. Kahaan hai woh abhi?"
Just then the man in question comes running into the reception area before stopping in front of his seniors.
Mahi takes a moment to catch his breath while Jammy Bhai immediately offers the panting kid his water bottle.
He takes a small sip and says, "Thank you Bhai. I'm sorry I'm late but meri meeting thodi delay ho gayi thi."
Jammy Bhai replies, "It's alright bachha. Humko yeh sab cheezo ka experience hai. Abhi bas do minute baith ke rest karle."
Mahi shakes his head while removing something from his pocket and says, "Aap dono apni room keys lehlijiye aur rest kariye. Mujhe ek aur meeting attend karni hai physio ke saath. Dinner time pe milta hu."
With that he runs off again before anyone could try to muster a response.
Sachin Paaji asks, "Is it just me or does he look more frazzled than usual?"
Jammy Bhai shakes his head and replies, "This is exactly what I was afraid of. Sonu, yeh sab kitne dino se chal raha hai?"
Sonu nervously says, "Almost jab se hum yahaan aaye hai. Mujhe toh yeh bhi lagta hai ki Mahi kuch dino se theek se soya bhi nahi hai. Pehle toh sirf board ke saath meetings hoti thi lekin itni injuries ke baad se physio ke saath aur meetings karta rehta hai. Ek do baar toh maine dekha ki Mahi kuch files padhte hue hi so jata hai."
Sachin Paaji slaps his forehead while Jammy Bhai asks, "Anything else we should know about?"
Yuvi replies, "I also noticed that he's not eating properly. Jaldbaazi karne ke chakkar me khaana kam kha raha hai."
Sachin Paaji says, "This is worse than we thought. Yeh ladka bimaar padke hi maanega."
Sonu replies, "Agar aap dono bolenge toh shayad yeh aapki baat sunke thoda rest kar lega."
Jammy Bhai smiles sadly and says, "Mahi is way too stubborn for his own good. Naa woh help lega aur naa hi aaram karega."
Sachin Paaji mutters, "Dada ko isse zyaada dheet ladka nahi mila tha pick karne ke liye. Khud toh sanyaas leke nikal gaya aur humko iss bewakoof ke saath chhod diya."
Jammy Bhai teasingly says, "Come on Sach. You know you love this kid just as much as Dadi does. You remember how nervous he used to be around you because you were like his childhood hero."
Sachin smiles fondly and replies, "I miss those days. At least he used to listen to us back then."
Jammy Bhai pats his best friend on the back and says, "Chal ab room me samaan rakhke thoda rest kar lete hai. We have to keep an eye on Mahi from dinner time."
With that they all go to the rooms to keep their belongings before resting up until dinner time.
~~~~~~~
The team made their way to the restaurant for dinner when Jammy Bhai noticed that the captain was missing and lets out an annoyed sigh.
Then he turns to Sonu and asks, "Mahaashay kahaan hai?"
Sonu replies, "Main jab bulane gaya tha tab hi just meeting khatam hui thi. Woh bola ki muh dhoke aa raha hai."
Yuvi says, "Bhai, aap tension naa lo. Usko pata hai ki aap log ho aaj toh aa hi jaayega. You know how that idiot never wants to worry anyone."
Sachin Paaji replies, "He's got a point you know. Mahi will do everything in his power to prove that he's fine."
Jammy Bhai asks, "Is it too much to ask for him to be sensible about his health?"
Sachin Paaji replies, "Unfortunately yes"
Jammy Bhai says, "Let's order some food. Hopefully Mahi will be here soon."
Sachin Paaji nods in agreement and they order food for themselves including Mahi.
Just as the food is placed on their table, Mahi enters the room and looks around for a few moments before making a beeline for their table.
Jammy Bhai closely watches the kid and notices that his exhaustion was quite visible from his posture.
Sachin Paaji asks, "All okay Mahi?"
Mahi smiles thought it doesn't quite reach his eyes like it normally does and replies, "More or less Paaji. Injuries pe toh koi control nahi hai but other things are mostly taken care of."
Jammy Bhai says, "Okay then sit down and have a proper meal with us."
Mahi nervously replies, "Bhai, woh I need to check on a few youngsters toh I can't stay for long."
Jammy Bhai sternly says, "You are sitting here in front of me and eating your dinner, even if I have to feed you myself. If you know what's good for you, you'll sit down right now because you know I'll do it."
Mahi quickly takes his seat and starts filling up his plate with food.
Sachin Paaji mutters, "Of course public humiliation threats are the only things that work on this idiot."
Jammy Bhai looks disapprovingly at the small amount of food in Mahi's plate before adding more food until he was satisfied about his kid having enough.
Mahi tries to protest but one look from Jammy Bhai and he shuts up immediately.
As they all start having their food, Virat and Rohit run towards their table screaming, "Mahi Bhai"
Mahi immediately stops eating, tiredly turning to them and asks, "What happened this time?"
Rohit whines, "Bhai, he's not letting me have ice cream."
Virat retorts, "Sar me dard tujhe ho raha tha kal. What if you fall sick?"
Mahi sighs tiredly pinching the bridge of his nose as Yuvi says, "Arre bas itni si baat? Shana, tujhe main ice cream khilaunga."
Jammy Bhai and Sachin Paaji shoot him a look, so he nervously adds, "Matlab aaj nahi khilaunga but pakka khilaunga."
Mahi give a grateful smile to his big brothers before turning back to the kids and replies, "Rohit, you weren't feeling well yesterday so definitely no ice cream for you. How about a milkshake instead?"
Rohit perks up and says, "Thank you Bhai."
Virat adds, "I also want a milkshake."
Mahi nods with a smile before ordering two milkshakes for the boys.
Jammy Bhai and Sachin Paaji can't help but smile as they watch their little Mahi act like a big brother to the new youngsters.
The boys pull chairs for themselves and sit down next to their Mahi Bhai who was just about done with his meal.
A waiter soon comes with their milkshakes and the seniors almost laugh at how excited Virat and Rohit looked.
They kiss Mahi on his cheek and say, "Thank you Bhai" before turning to drink their milkshakes.
Jammy Bhai smiles remembering the time his little Mahi used to act the same way, mostly around him and Dada.
~~~~~~~
Once the boys are done with their milkshakes everyone leaves to rest in their own rooms.
Mahi takes Virat and Rohit to their room while Jammy Bhai decides to quietly follow his kid.
The boys are getting tucked into their beds when Rohit says, "Bhai, I think you are sick."
Mahi looks confused and asks, "Achha and why do you think so?"
Virat replies, "Aapka gaal thoda garam feel hua tha humko."
Mahi smiles softly and says, "I'm feeling fine so don't worry. Kal practice hai toh abhi so jao tum dono. Good night."
The boys reply, "Good night Bhai"
Mahi switches off the light and quietly leaves the room before making his way to his own room.
Jammy Bhai stays out of sight before making his way to Sachin Paaji's room.
Yuvi was lounging in the room like he normally did when Jammy Bhai entered saying, "I think we need to act fast."
Sachin Paaji looks confused and asks, "Jammy, tu kehna kya chaahta hai?"
Jammy Bhai replies, "I just heard the kids talking to Mahi and they think he's sick."
Yuvi says, "If they think he's sick then there's a high chance that he might be."
Jammy Bhai replies, "Okay then we have to ensure that Mahi takes it easy during practice tomorrow."
Sachin Paaji asks, "Don't you mean we have to stop him from coming to practice tomorrow?"
Jammy Bhai gives him deadpanned look and replies, "Hum Mahi ki baat kar rahe hai. Think again."
Sachin Paaji thinks fora moment and says, "Okay fair point."
Yuvi gets up and replies, "Good luck with that. Main chala sone ke liye."
~~~~~~~
The next morning Jammy Bhai wakes up early and he gets ready before going to check up on a few of his teammates.
Soon enough the team meets near the reception area when Sachin Paaji and Jammy Bhai notice that the captain was missing.
They look around for a few moments before Sachin Paaji asks, "Does anyone know where Mahi is?"
Yuvi sleepily replies, "He went to practise early. Message chhoda tha usne subah."
Jammy Bhai asks, "Why did he go so early?"
Sonu replies, "Not sure Bhai but my guess is that something happened with the selectors. Kuch time se thodi zyaada hi practise kar raha hai."
Sachin Paaji asks, "Yeh pehle kyu nahi bataya?"
Sonu nervously replies, "Sorry woh baaki sab cheezo me bhool gaya."
Jammy Bhai asks, "Tumhara matlab hai ki woh ladka theek se khaana nahi kha raha hai aur zyaada training kar raha hai?"
Yuvi replies, "Maine toh pehle hi kaha tha ki poora pagal hai woh lekin meri toh koi sunta hi nahi hai."
Sachin Paaji shoots Yuvi a look while Jammy Bhai asks, "Is everyone else here?"
Sonu does a quick head count and replies, "Ha Bhai."
Jammy Bhai says, "Then let's go."
With that the players all enter the bus and take their place quickly before the driver starts driving towards the ground.
Upon reaching the ground Jammy Bhai is the first one to get off the bus and he quickly starts looking for his stupid kid.
Suddenly Sachin Paaji says, "There he is in the nets."
Jammy Bhai takes one look at Mahi and replies, "Pakka selectors ne kuch bola hai. Last time Mahi ko aise practise karte hue toh World Cup ke baad dekha tha."
Sachin Paaji says, "They must have said something about his batting. Sonu, just ask the coach from how long he has been in the nets."
Jammy Bhai replies, "I'm going to stop him right now."
With that he immediately starts angrily marching towards the nets while Sachin Paaji follows in an attempt to try and protect Mahi from the Dravid temper.
~~~~~~~
Mahi was in the zone when he hears his name being called out angrily.
He takes a deep breath before moving to the side when he sees his Jammy Bhai looking at him angrily while Sachin Paaji is shooting him a few sympathetic looks.
Jammy Bhai angrily asks, "What do you think you're doing?"
Mahi nervously replies, "Umm, batting practise"
Jammy Bhai asks, "Why are you training alone? Do you want to get an injury? How many times do you need to be told to take a partner during practise?"
Mahi looks down since he didn't have an answer.
Jammy Bhai sighs and says, "Just go and take a break now. I don't want you to overwork yourself."
Mahi decides to follow his orders to avoid more scolding but just as he takes the first step, he feels dizzy and is about to fall before someone catches him.
Jammy Bhai notices that the kid was about to lose his balance and immediately moves forward to hold him.
Sachin Paaji also stepped forward to help when he realises that Mahi was burning up and asks, "Mahi, do you have a fever?"
Mahi immediately replies, "Paaji, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
Jammy Bhai angrily says, "You're burning up you idiot. I'm taking you to the physio right now and I don't want any arguments from you, young man."
Mahi stays quiet because he honestly didn't have the energy left to argue and this worried his big brothers even more.
The physio does his examination and declares that the captain was just facing the consequences of over exhaustion.
Jammy Bhai and Sachin Paaji have a quick discussion before they decide to send Mahi back to the hotel to rest.
Mahi was about to protest so Jammy Bhai says, "You need to rest properly and I'm coming with you to ensure that you rest. Don't even think of arguing with us because you can barely stand on your own two feet."
Sachin Paaji then goes to join the other kids for practise while Jammy Bhai takes his kid back to his room in the hotel.
Mahi quietly follows all orders as his big brother helps him change into some comfortable clothes before tucking him into bed.
Jammy Bhai couldn't help but chuckle when he hears Mahi whine, "I'm not a little kid."
Once the sick captain was put to bed, Jammy Bhai takes a seat next to him and starts massaging his head.
A few moments pass and then Jammy Bahi softly says, "Mahi, is something bothering you bachha? I haven't seen you train this hard since the last World Cup."
Mahi stays quiet for a few moments which makes his Bhai think that he might have fallen asleep before he replies, "I don't want my performance to be affected. Sachin Paaji ne bataya tha ki captaincy ke pressure ki wajah se unki performance kharaab hui thi."
Jammy Bhai says, "Woh toh Sachin ki personal problem thi. Dada and I never had any issues like that. Also, I don't think your performance has been affected."
Mahi lays silent for a few moments before he softly replies, "But people expect me to do well in the match. What if I'm not able to?"
Jammy Bhai smiles and says, "I know for a fact that no matter what you will do your best. Your efforts are what matter the most."
Mahi innocently asks, "What if I don't do well as captain?"
Jammy Bhai replies, "Sachin suggested your name because he saw something in you that no one else did. Dada and I supported him because when we thought about it, we realised that you are the best choice. I have always trusted you to be the best finisher because I know that you thrive under pressure. Just believe in yourself and do what you think is best. Don't worry too much about the outside noises and keep doing your job. Just remember to take care of yourself along the way."
Mahi gives his Jammy Bhai a toothy grin before placing his head in his brother's lap and says, "Thank you Bhai. I think I really needed to hear that."
Jammy Bhai caresses his hair and replies, "I will always be here to hold you every time you fall. Just don't run yourself to the ground like this again."
Mahi says, "I'll try to be more careful about my health. Sorry for scaring you today."
Jammy Bhai replies, "It's alright but don't do it again. Now go to sleep."
Mahi snuggles into his Bhai's lap and soon drifts off into a peaceful slumber.
Jammy Bhai watches him for some time before picking up his book to read until the rest of the team arrives after practise.
~~~~~~~
As expected, Sachin Paaji is the first one to enter Jammy Bhai's room.
Jammy Bhai sees him entering and quickly gestures for him to be quiet because Mahi was still asleep.
Sachin Paaji carefully checks on the sick captain before turning to his best friend and softly asks, "How's he doing?"
Jammy Bhai replies in an equally soft voice, "Mahi just needed to talk about a few insecurities. He'll be fine but we have to take care of this whiny kid for a few days."
Sachin Paaji says, "It'll be nice to have our kid back even if it is for a few days. Captain MS is way too mature for me to handle."
Jammy Bhai replies, "Mahi still is our kid. Captaincy just forces him to act maturely because even we know that the others won't be growing up anytime soon. I'm glad to see that he hasn't lost his childishness in all this."
Sachin Paaji asks, "Do I get to scold him when he wakes up?"
Jammy Bhai shakes his head and replies, "Just don't scold him too much. He already feels bad about scaring us today."
Sachin Paaji nods in acknowledgement before pulling out a camera to click a picture of Mahi and Jammy to tease Dada later.
~~~~~~~
I tried to write a fun story around Mahi running himself to the ground because he feels that he has to prove his worth as captain.
Let me know what you guys think ✍🏻
Please vote ⭐