CHAPTER 1 - THE BASIC "PITCH" OF MY LIFE

IMPORTANT TIMELINE DISCLAIMER

THE TIMELINE'S IN OUR STORY ARE GOING TO BE DATED SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE PRESENT 2020!!

The Story Begins - in the Beginning of Year 2019 (Because the Year 2019- and earlier bit of the present 2020 have been very crucial towards the development and progress of Women's Indian Cricket Team - apart from also being another crucial year for the Men's Cricket Team)

And I am also choosing it to begin in 2019.. Because I want to keep up the little similar tradition from Hit Wicket 1.0 and that's the reason why the first meeting date of Arnav and Khushi , in this version of Hit Wicket 2.0 shall also be 16th Feburary,2019 - **happy winks**!!

However the Story and the plot is going to be Totally Different even though the fictional timelines Coincide with our precious Hit Wicket 1.0 - so you can kind of Imagine this to be a Different Version of Hit Wicket running in a parallel Universe of our Fictional Imagintaions...

You shall also find certain Character names in common from Hit Wicket 1.0...completely for Nostalgic Purposes..Haha!! Their respective roles and context in characters in this Version will differ ofcourse...only the names will be the Same..**sighhhh.. My Nostalgic Heart** haha!!

Please ignore editing errors - as I have not Proofread!

And I shall now let you all dive in without Further Delay

**happy winks**

CHAPTER 1 - THE BASIC 'PITCH' OF MY LIFE

16th Feburary,2019

On a Flight,En-Route London

ARNAV'S POV

I look up instantly at my brother Akash, as I spot him gesturing me to me that he'd be back at his seat after a little stroll around and I shoot him a happy grin and thumbs up, and return my attention to the Documentary that I was indulging in on the Screen in front off me.

Ok.

Wait.

I want to pause on the Documentary.

Why?

I think I want to pause on this and take a couple of minutes to just resoak and relax over the fact that I was finally taking a little time off. Like I was actually in the middle of it, for Real and not Imagining about it in my Head.

Haha!

Guys - what can I say???

I have had my hands full - Work Wise for a Long Long Time.

So.

Hello to You All.

Lets get the Introductions Done with First?

My Name : Arnav Singh Raizada.

Age : 27 years 9 months.

From : Well,Technically my family is from Lucknow,India.But my family shifted base to New Delhi for the family business expansion purposes, even before I was born - and we'v all been living in Delhi since then. My mother's side of the family still lives in Lucknow though.

Family : I most definetly would like to give a brief glimpse into my close knit intimate family circle before I get to talking about what I do for a living, professionaly - for two reasons. The first and the most important being the fact that I absolutely love my family to bits, and second being that - I wouldn't be where I am today, without the support and love of my Family. With the grace of God, I am blessed to have a very very Happy Home - and our close knit family comprises of my grandmother,Subhadra Singh Raizada(we are all very close to her), my first heroes - my loving parents, Abhimanyu and Reva Singh Raizada, myself and my twin siblings who are two years younger to me , Akash and Anjali. And in addition to a very closely knit family of us 6, we have a very close equation with my Bua (dad's twin sister) and her family too and also my Moms side of the family in Lucknow.

Thank You God, for Blessing me with Such a Wonderful Family.

Now, coming to the Introductions with regards to my Profession.

Profession : Professionally, I am a Cricketer. And Cricket is not just a Game for Me, its more like the First, Eternal Love of my Life. Jersey Playing No - 21. Always played with just that No - in every format, since the beginning of my Career.

And to be honest, being able to play for my Country, is like a Dream Come true for Me. Because ever since I could hold a bat as a child, all I wanted to do was Bat all day, and dream to dawn the Blue Jersey for India one day. And I was very lucky that my parents spotted the cricketing talent in me at a very young age, and encouraged me to follow and pursue my love for the game throughout my nascent years. And as I grew up, I obviously started my professional cricketing stint through Domestic Cricket,and I used to play for the Delhi team and North Zone respectively, before I got selected into the Under 19- National Squad, which kind off became a turning point for me as I was trusted with the opportunity to lead the Under 19 National Team - in the U-19 ICC Men's World Cup.We won the tournament, and ever since then - things just kind off accelerated for me.I was chosen to represent India in the National playing 11, and the young me then was also given the opportunity to play with our legendary seniors in the 2011 ICC World Cup Squad.And you all would already know that India won the ODI World Cup after 28 years in a thrilling World Cup victory at the Wankhede over Sri Lanka on 2nd April, 2011. That truly was and still is one of the most Monumental moments for me as a Indian cricketer, as I got to be a part of a History - alongside all senior legends of the Game.

My Golden Captain - Dev and his faith in my game and me moving on from there,along with the trust and motivation from our Coaches and support team always encouraged me to keep challenging myself and strive to keep going at improving my game and techniques, and very soon the grit and determination to give it my all, backed by my immense love and passion for the game, made me earn a secured position in India's top batting order along with the Vice Captaincy. A couple of smooth cricketing years followed down the line for me personally and the team too. Hoever,in a surprising or rather shocking turn of events, amidst our tour of Australia in between of a Test Series in 2017, my hero -Our Captain Dev announced his decision of retiring from Test Cricket, and I was handed over the Test Captaincy of Team India in January 2017, a little over two years Ago.

To be honest, it was overwhelming. Extremely overwhelming to step into My Captains shoes, at first - because he's always been my Hero, my Inspiration, the only Captain that I played under, and now all of a sudden i had to adapt to His Role, but thankfully he was there to guide me through it at every step whenever I seeked guidance. And because of our close equation both on and off field, I was able to embrace the challenging role, Cap,the board, the selectors had entrusted me with in the longest format of the Game .Eventually in that year forward, as our Test Rankings in the ICC table improved , Cap would keep giving me hints that he was going to be stepping down from the shorter formats Captaincy soon too, and would always encourage me to get myself ready to embrace the next challenge that was coming my way. I worked very hard in that year both game wise and mentally too, to prep myself for the fact that there could be a possibility that I would be given the opportunity to lead India, in all formats soon. And that's what eventually Happened too. Last year, January 2018 was when Cap Dev stepped down from Captaincy in ODI and T20 formats as well, handing me the reins of leadership of the Indian Cricket Team in all Formats.

And Hence- Here I am today.

The Current Captain of the Indian Cricket Team.

I would like to thank my stars though that Cap, is still playing in the Team, because I still have so so so much to learn from him. I literally learn from him every day. He is kind off like a entire Cricket Sports Academy on his Own.I keep telling him that. There is no one who knows the game, better than Him. I so very often seek his guidance on the field after taking over as Captain,as well in the middle of the game too , as my gut guides me and he has always been there for me, and for the Team, and for India.

On that note - We the Men in Blue, are a very very close knit unit, and that's kind of the reason why this entire transition of the Captaincy from Cap to Me , happened so smoothly. On a personal level, I get along with everyone on the team mostly, for its very important for me as a Skipper to have that cordial respectful bond with every player so that we always flow in One Sync as a Team on the Field. But yes out of the entire unit, I have very strong personal close equations with Cap Dev, both our star openers Rohan and Shiv,our ace bowler Ravi, and our middle order all -rounder Veer.

Rohan is also our Vice Captain.

I am a little extra close to both Rohan and Ravi, also because off a little personal twist coming in to the context because of the fact that my brother Akash is dating Rohan's sister, Payal and Ravi is dating Noor, who is my first cousin.(She is my Bua's daughter)

Ok.

So now that I brought up the Topic of Dating - I would like to add another introductory personal detail in Here.

My Current Relationship Status - Single.

I have been Single for the last six months , and I think I want it to Stay that way, for now and just focus all my energies into the Game.

To be Honest, until about a year ago, I never had been in any steady relationship at all.Not even One - for Real. So until that point, in that reference, It would just be a couple of casual hooks ups here and there on tours etc...but its not like I was ever a playboy or something or have a crazy big list of hook ups in my closet, even though that's the image the Media likes to potray off me because of the insane amount of glitz and glamourous speculations attached to our Sport.

I never got into a relationship until then because off three reasons.One - I always thought I'd be too boring for a girl perhaps because I kind off talk and breathe cricket a lot. Second - I never did think that I had the time to Invest to a relationship, because I know that's what it takes - you gotta nurture a bond, invest time, energy and emotions into it. I do believe that Love exists - I have seen my parents experience a very Happy Marriage. So I know that soulful connection exists, and I respect the sanctity of a emotional investment in a relationship way too much so I always thought, why must I get into something that I don't have the time to Nurture. Third reason being - Long Distance, in the aspect that I didn't know if any girl in this day and age would be ready to give Long Distance a Shot, because that I was all I could do, for I am always travelling because of my work profile.

However,a year ago - I did decide to put my these three apprehensions in the backseat for a while and give a Steady relationship a shot for Real, thinking I would never know how it works for me, if I never opened up and gave it a real shot. And I was triggered to take this decision when I met Pia on - a Ad shoot. We were scheduled to shoot together for a brand endorsement of a popular consumer product, and that's where ,the attraction sparked in between us. Pia's also a popular Bollywood actress and back then as we started getting to know each other, I did think that maybe we could nurture a connection for real. We did grow to like each other too, and she was all ok with the long distance aspect too, so I was thinking to myself - Ok,why not? Lets see how this Goes.

So see Basically - deep down in my being, I am a very simple man.

Always was.

Always will be.

My Life kind off revolved around - My Family and Cricket.

My Regular routine being - Train, exercise, eat, drink, sleep. Play Cricket.Spend time with family and friends as much as I can.

And.

Play More Cricket.

And.

Repeat all of the Above.

Period.

Yes - I have embraced the Spotlight that comes on me with regards to what I do as a profession, as a part and parcel of the game, and sometimes even though all the constant media scrutiny does get overwhelming - I know I cannot shy away from it being a public cricketing figure in India. None of us on the Team Can. Cricket is a fanatic Religion in our Country. We all know that.

But what I mean to say is - that I had embraced all this Media limelight and scrutiny bit as a part of my professional role, never before had any limelight ever fallen on my personal life, because I was always a very private person that way until then, and I think that also stemmed from the fact that primarily there never really was any concrete thing to talk about.

But then last year, all of a sudden my personal space experienced this shift because firstly, the Spotlight focus on me increased as I took over the Captaincy in all formats and then eventually Pia too happened around the same time, and then when the news of her and me, dating started doing the rounds - it all just kind of blew out of proportion on another level, for apparently that was the only Celebrity gossip that the media was interested in talking and writing about.

Captain Arnav Singh Raizada + Bollywood's rising star Pia Chopra = A Crackling Pair = A Match Made in Heaven.etc etc.

I cannot even begin to explain the Media Craze off it All.

Thank God for the fact that I am not on any Social Media apart from just Twitter, and that too I am not very active on it, and I barely have the time or the patience to even get into the dynamics off it - I tweet like once in months.But Pia always was a very social media person. She would often post our pictures together etc etc - leading to a lot more crazy media frenzy altogether .Hence all of a sudden there was this unnecessary dramatic attention around my head all the time, the media seeking me out for questions on my personal life too , alongside the game rituals etc, but I still kind of managed to soak it all in, because I did like Pia, and I did honestly think that "we" could lead to something concrete, eventually with some more time down the line.

I managed to strive a balance in trying to maintain a steady relationship and also not let it affect my ways with the Bat.

I stayed Loyal to Her.

And I stayed Loyal to my Bat.

Period.

But.

And just when I thought, everything was going smooth, Pia shocked the hell out of me with a revelation.

A revelation - that Proved that I was wrong.

That I was Very wrong in my Notion -About that Nurturing the connection bit, because after five months of being in a relationship together, Pia confessed to me that she kind off had a vulenrable moment with her co-star of the movie she was shooting for ,on one of the outdoor shoots - and they ended up spending a night together. She was feeling guilty about it for sure,and that's why she chose to come clean about to me, the very next day. And even though I was hurt, because I most definitely did not expect her to cheat on me ever, I still kind off appreciated the fact that she was sweet enough to confess the truth to me and be honest upfront - rather than keep me in the dark. She was also honest about the fact that she was in her complete senses when it happened, and didn't use alcohol to cover up the background context.I broke up with her immediately ofcourse, because infidelity in a relationship is surely a deal breaker for me, and even though she seeked forgiveness a zillion times asking me if I could bury it all and if we could move on from it, terming it to be a vulnerable momentary mistake, because she hadn't seen me in over two months and gave in to the momentarily need for a physical touch - I was honest in telling her that we couldn't, because infidelity for whatever reasons is completely not acceptable to me and She also knew very well from day one that our relationship would be Long Distance. I mean Long Distance most definitely cannot be used as a excuse for cheating right?.And if you do, then it means that clearly you are not emotionally invested into the relationship and your priorities are elsewhere.

Hence we called Our Very Public Relationship Off, which only lead to additional drama around me, because everyone wanted to know why we broke up. And no matter what happened, I wasn't going to be the one to ridicule a woman,ever. Be it Publically or in Private.I do not believe in letting go off my grace and respectful demeanour, just because things got Sour. That's not who I am. I was always very calm and composed about my talks with Pia too when she revealed it all to me.And so eventually we discussed and maintained a common stand to the public and the media - that we parted due to irreconciable differences. I always assured, Pia that the public would never know from me - the real reason why we broke up and that I would never speak ill of her. (and its true, I never spoke ill of her, and till today, no one apart from my very close trusted circle, knows what actually Happened)

Anyways, so this was about six months ago. On the whole, Pia and me parted on decent cordial terms and she never spoke ill of me too.

If I were to state things transparently now -I am kind of glad all of this happened, before I started to feel any kind of deep emotions for her because then it would just hurt more right?I did like her for real, but I wasn't in love with her. So I was kind off saved from a Heartbreak just in time.

And I got Over It - in a while.

And ever since then,I have put all my energies and focus into the first love of my life - which is my Game and I have decided to steer clear from any sort of relationships for a bit. The dramatic hangover from the last one,anyway still kind off manages to buzz around me even though its been six months to the Break up.Like for example, when I was getting into the airport at Delhi today, a reporter asked me - "Are there any chances of you and Pia Chopra getting back together? Your Break Up broke our Hearts.You two looked so Perfect Together..etc etc", and I just politely smiled and dodged out all these personal questions and chose to answer all the ones thanking our fans for their brilliant wishes and support as always as we returned home from the gruelling almost three months tour off Australia and NZ and then made my way in with my brother Akash.

Now that I am kind off done with the Introductions around the Basic Pitch of my Life - I shall point out a fact that I am sure you all have already guessed.

I am on a Plane right Now. En-route to London, with my brother Akash.

I recline in my seat a little bit more.

So.

I usually request for the first seat off the cabin, for privacy reasons, when I am travelling ,on personal trips. And this surely was a Personal trip - for it was all about just catching up and spending some quality time with both my siblings, even if it was for just about four to five days. Akash and me were scheduled to head back to Delhi on the 21st Feb, because I had to return to my Cricketing and Skipper Duties on the 22nd to get ready for Australia coming in to tour India for a series of 5ODI's starting the 28th of Feb until the 18th of March, post which we would all get busy with the IPL.And Post the IPL - our Entire Squad was only going to get more gruellingly consumed within the Team in the preparations for the ICC World Cup, 2019 which was to be hosted by England and Wales this Summer.And well the cricketing fixtures and schedules are still kind off hectic after that too, that is why I am so very glad that I have taken this four- five days off to just spend some quality time with both my siblings, because by the time I will be returning to the UK for the World Cup, Anjali will be heading back Home, for her MBA finishes by end May.She couldn't come right now , so Akash and me decided just two days ago - to just jump on the plane and go see Her for a couple of days. Akash was really concerned if it would be ok for me to hop onto another plane to head out of India for we had just returned from a long hectic tour of Australia and NZ on the 10th Feb, which was not even a week ago,and I had only gotten to chill and relax at home with Dadi, Mom, and Dad for about five days, but I assured him that I was all in, because I really missed seeing Anjali all these months .The three of us , Raizada siblings are very close in our bond. But I do get to know Akash's and Anjali's personal secrets after they'v already revealed it to each other - you know since they are twins, their personal equation is a tad bit thicker. Nonetheless, I love both my Siblings to Bits. And I know so do They.

The two of them do get a tad bit Intimidated at times, because I am the older brother and I like to watch out for them both as much as I can, without overwhelming them too much, giving them the space to just be and grow as respective individuals in both their - personal and professional space.

Anyway.

So like I said before we are currently, en-route London. But that's not our final Stop in this Personal Four day break that we brother's have taken to go see Anjali. We will be heading straight down to Nottingham,for that's where Anjali is currently studying and is in the process of completing her MBA.(as I hinted above).I have to state this again that I am very excited to be able to spend some good quality time with just both of them together.I haven't seen Anjali in months for real, in front off me. The last I met Anjali in person was in September last year, before she left for her MBA at the University of Nottingham.Akash is currently in the process of completing his Post Graduate programme in Management for Family Business - from Indian Business School, as he's stepped into working alongside Dad, in managing Raizada Group of Companies.I have always been very clear on my stand that I don't want to get into our family business at all, and just focus on Cricket, always. Dad and Akash both keep requesting me to rethink my decision but I am adamant about this, because I want Akash to be the one to take over from dad, since he has the Intense Strategic Businessman gene. I don't think I do.That's why I am most definitely sure, that when the time comes for me to give up on cricket because of age factors, I will always find ways to continue being engaged with sport related avenues and activities. And on that note - both my siblings are also more educationally qualified than me, as in not that I'v been bad at studies or something,but iv always been just a average student because my focus was always - Cricket. And after Grade 12, getting into the Under 19 National Team almost immediately - I kind off only had time to complete my basic graduation degrees through good correspondence courses.

Ok.

Why isn't Akash back yet?

Is he still walking up and down the Aisles of the Plane? Or Chatting up with some fellow passenger, around the Bar area in the middle of the Business Class Cabins?

I straighten up in my seat and get up as I want to freshen up.

I am on my way to the restroom, and all of a sudden I feel a instant tug on my sleeve around my wrist, which makes me turn around instantly, and I spot a young boy beaming up and grinning up at me, his father now getting off his seat from two rows behind ours, to come stand behind him as he states in an embarrassed tone to his little boy - " Varun, I told you not too...",and he looks up at me and states with a apologetic smile - " I am sorry ASR, we don't mean to intrude your privacy on the flight..."

I grin at them both and I say to the father - " don't worry about it at all...",and I kneel down on my one knee in front of this adorable kid and I ask patting his arm - " hey you young boy, how old are you Varun, hmmm let me guess 10 ??"

Varun beams at me happily and he nods - " I will be 10 years in a month...can I have a picture with you please ASR? I play cricket because of you, you are my favourite.....i want to tell my friends that I met you on the flight when I go back to India...they will go crazyyyyyy...."

I chuckle and nod at him and he instantly turns around and gets to my side and he states to his father - " cmon dad, snap a picture of me fast..."

I chuckle and I see his father shoot me another sheepish smile as he takes out his phone.I pose with Little Varun and his father snaps a picture of us, and once he is done, little Varun looks at me from the side and he states excitedly - " thank you so much ASR, you know I spotted you long ago when I was on my way back from the restroom, and wanted to come take a picture with you, but then I got nervous, and then when I got back to my seat,I asked Daddy if he could help me get a picture with you, he did say he would help me ask you for one, at the end of the flight, but then I saw you getting up, so I ran to you excited myself...I want to play for India too when I grow up...I bat very well ASR, you can ask my Dad..."

I grin at the little boy, ruffling his hair lovingly - " oh really? You love to bat too?? That's amazing Varun, I am sure that you will be playing for India one day too...but you gotta believe in yourself and your dreams ok and follow it through if that's what you strongly want in your heart? I did..and look here I am, playing for India too..."

I look at his Dad and smile at him too as he comes up close and I get up on my feet now, and shake his hand and he states sheepishly - " he is a big fan ASR , well to be honest, so am i...I mean who isn't?? we love you as Skipper and not just that, we are crazy about your game...and I am absolutely thrilled to run into you so randomly...what an amazing Tour of Australia and NZ that was, a big congratulations to you and the team for both the Major Test Series Win and the ODI Series win in Australia and the spectacular ODI series win in NZ too". I thank him politely for his wishes, and he asks if I'd be comfortable with another combined selfie, and I nod with a natural grin, as I pose with my hand around the adorable little Varun.

And once we are done, they both thank me again, and I give little Varun a thumbs up, asking him to continue batting always, and I make my way to freshen up, and a couple of minutes later once I am done ,I make my way back to my seat and I spot little Varun leaning sideways from his seat as he continues to give me excited Happy Grins and I grin back at him, giving him another thumbs up, before sitting back in my seat.

I resume to watch my Documentary.

Minutes later, I spot Akash walk back to his seat next to me and he gestures me to take off my headphones and I do, and he winks at me as he comes to stand in front off me, as he states - " ok, so I was just walking around when I decided to get myself a little drink around the bar area, you know since theres still a couple of hours to landing and we will only land by 4pm, London time, and then I thought, I want to toast with you bhai..so iv asked the crew to help us with some wine, cmon then? Its not crowded, itl just be us..."

I grin at him as I get up instantly from my seat - " sure why not, now that you put it that way, its been ages that we'v travelled together, hasn't it Akash?"

Akash nods excited.

We make our way to the bar now , where the crews already got our wines served and we take our seats on the two seater lounging space, and Akash raises a toast to me and I raise a toast back to him and we share a warm laugh. And just as I finish taking a sip of my wine, and Akash finishes a sip of his too, he clears his throat and he asks with a side smile - " ok...so just checking bhai...moods good right??

I shoot him a puzzled look as I state - " ofcourse Akash, you know I am really relaxed right now..."

Akash takes a deep breathe and I say, narrowing my eyes at him - " whats cooking in your head? Why are you nervous? I know this look on your face brother...you'v been keeping a secret from me...what is it??out with it...now.."

Akash shoots me a sheepish smile - " so please know that, our plan was to not keep this from you , we were waiting for you to come back from this hectic Australia and NZ tour..."

Hmmmmm.The Look on his face tells me, the We in there means, Anjali and Him. I ask, sipping my wine - " we as in Anjali and you..and I know you wouldn't be this nervous if this was anything about you, so I reckon something about Anjali in context here??"

Akash nods as he smiles - " well..yes....and I think the time is right for me to tell you this...you know since we are headed to Nottingham...actually ill just get out with it, Anjali asked me to update you on this in transit here...she was very nervous to talk to you herself..."

Ok.

My brotherly worry for my little sister is rising up.

I remind myself she is not little anymore.

She is 25.

I ask, worried - " did something happen ??? as in did Anjali get into some mess ???"

Akash rolls his eyes - " oh no bhai...look theres nothing to worry...It's a thing to be happy about actually....",and he pauses and takes on a deep breathe - " ok , so ill just say it...Anjali's met someone, he's on this MBA course with her, and they are in love..and the reason why Anjali wants us both in Nottingham right now is because, she wants us to also get to know him a little bit, before this goes upto Mom and Dad...."

Wait.

WHAT?????????

I ask on reflex, my eyes widened - " so if this is reaching a stage that its about to go upto Mom and Dad, then I reckon its very serious.Whats the name of this guy?and how long has this been on??and wheres he from? Is he an Indian?his family?is Anjali sure???? I mean is she sure that its Love??and that he is the One??"

Akash takes a deep breathe and gives me a side smile - " ok...so the start was good, you aren't like crazy mad at us for keeping this from you...you aren't right??"

Was i?

Ofcourse not.

I admit honestly - " no...I am not mad, you know I cant be mad at you two, but yes I am hell worried, because my sisters been seeing someone, and I get to know about it when I am hours away from meeting him probably...so you better talk talking Akash, and tell me all that you know about him...I am worried because I don't want her to be hurt in the matters of the heart Akash, what if he isn't the one? But I know that's for Anjali to decide, but the least I can do as a brother is to atleast observe and judge this man's intentions..."

Akash nods - " I know bhai..and that's precisely the reason why I suggested we get onto the plane ourselves to go meet Anjali, because although iv heard about him, I think itll be better for the two of us to meet him in person before this goes to the elders, and Anjali did tell me that he is also freaking out at the thought off meeting you, because he thinks he's going to get absolutely tongue tied around you in a crazy fan zone moment, because he's always been a huge fan off you, so Anjali's asked me to convey to you to not misunderstand his stunned silence and daze around you for any sort of a disrespect...",finishes Akash with a chuckle.

I chuckle on reflex now as I ask - " really?? She's defending him and covering up for him already???

Akash nods with a grin - " oh yes...they are really into each other Bhai...and to be honest I don't blame him, falling in love with Captain Arnav Singh Raizada's younger sister..can obviously be intimidating, he knows you are the scary brother, I am the kool one..."

I chuckle as I sip my wine - " ok ok...I am the scary brother...I know that. I get that...so name...whats his name??"

Akash smiles - " Rahul Gupta.."

"From??"

Akash - "coincidentally the familys technically from lucknow too, just like ours, shifted to Delhi decades ago for business expansion purposes, infact their farmhouse is just what about 5kms away from ours in Chattarpur, just the other side of the DLF enclave..."

I ask - " hmmm and he's doing his MBA too?? A business family??what business??"

Akash - " pharmaceutical and real estate mainly, and he is the only son, he's gotta little sister though...", and he continues to fill me in on all that he knows and has heard about Rahul Gupta from Anjali.

I continue to sip on wine as I listen in a perceptive silence as I make a mental note to not get too harsh in my judgements as I meet the man, who kind off plans to whisk my sister away from me.

Hmmmmm.

Sounds Good as in whatever I can assume and preassume from what Akash is telling me about how much he cares for Anjali.

Maybe, id just have to see him to observe and perceive for myself.

Once Akash is done telling me I smile on reflex as I look at him - " well it's a good thing hes meeting the two of us first, we both know how insanely scary dad's reaction will be too this, hes way too protective about Anj..."

Akash grins - " exactly the reason why our sister needs us to have her back on this..."

I nod and I smile - " I understand...ok...lets meet this Rahul Gupta..",and I pause as I ask with a grin - " hows everything with payal going??"

Akash grins - " alls great bhai...never been better actually...its good to have Rohans support on this obviously...".Rohan is our star opener, our currect Vice Captain.He is Payals elder brother.I stated earlier, but just bringing it into context again.

I nod and I admit with a grin - " ofcourse, having the brother on your side always helps...now I know where Anjali got the hints from.."

Akash and me share a warm laugh and Akash sombers up seconds later as he states sourly - " I swear to God, I am never watching any of Pia's movies ever again...how could she be unfaithful to you bhai..Anjali and me hate her...period..."

I pat his arm lovingly as I admit honestly - " theres no need to hold onto a grudge or hate Akash, only make you feel bitter...let it go...im over it..."

Akash sighs, rolling his eyes - " yeah right as if..the media will ever let it go, I mean they were on and on about it earlier today too, when we were getting into the aiport...I mean talk about the kickass NZ and Australia tour no...but no...Pia Chopra..Pia Chopra..."

I chuckle on reflex as I admit - " well, don't worry about me, I am ok...I am over it for real, and I just want to focus on the games for now Akash , you know this year is so so crucial...and with the World Cup in line, the pressure's really mounting up insane..."

Akash nods - " I know bhai..i know...and I am so proud of you...I still don't know how you cope up with those run making expectations and pressures for the wins etc, its insane..."

I nod as I sip my wine - " insane yes...but part and parcel of the game I love...",and I wink at him as I admit with a chuckle - " well im just glad that atleast my bat is loyal to me...it fires when I want it too...that's why I say cricket shall always be the first love of my life..."

We share a warm chuckle and continue talking and catching up in this brotherly time in between of us - that's come after a long time anyway.

And to be honest guys, in my heart - I really was happy for Akash on the development on his personal front.Payal is a good girl and I think Akash is kind off in love with her, he just doesn't know it yet....and now if Anjali had found the one her heart wanted too and this man loved her too - then I truly was going to feel a very happy brother in my heart if I discovered that this Rahul Gupta's intentions were True.

I was happy that my siblings had found the one's their heart's beat for!!!!!

I feel a natural longing tug into the deep hidden strings of my being on reflex and I Wonder now if I'd ever meet the one, who was Destined for Me?? I mean they do say that there's someone out there for everyone right? The one's who is Destined Just for You?

I mean - was there someone out there, who was Destined just for me tooo???The one who'd understand me and see me for who I am in my being?? And look past all the glitz and glamour around me????

I don't know.

Because I am kind off going to be 28 soon, and I yet haven't come across - whoever she Is !

Pia , most definitely wasn't the One!

And...If Pia Isnt...then Who Is???

Gotta just Wait and Watch I guess.

I wasn't in a Hurry anyway - I already had my first love,Cricket to focus on, in the Meanwhile.

...............................

TADAAAAA!!!!!!!!

Let me know what you all think of the First Chapter off Arnav's Intro.

Next Chapter will come up Tomorrow Night mostly - Introducing Khushi's POV and her Basic Pitch of Her Life!!

And just incase if some of you haven't already Guessed.Rahul Gupta is Khushi's elder brother.**wink wink**

Thanks guys for all the Support.

Much Love

Always.

..............................

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