Chapter 58 : ODI Debut

August 8, 2019 – 1st ODI, India vs West Indies

The morning sun shone brightly over Providence Stadium in Guyana, where the crowd had already begun filling the stands well before the toss. The energy was electric—fans waving the Indian tricolor, chanting "India! India!" as the teams warmed up.

At the center, Virat Kohli and Jason Holder stood for the toss. The coin was flipped, landing in India's favor.

Virat looked at the presenter with a confident nod. "We'll bat first."

A massive cheer erupted from the Indian supporters, who knew exactly what that meant—Advay Rai and Rohit Sharma were about to walk out and open the innings.

As the West Indies players scattered onto the field, adjusting their fielding positions, the cameras zoomed in on the Indian dressing room, where Advay was calmly adjusting his gloves.

Harsha Bhogle, in the commentary box, smiled. "This young man was the star of the T20Is. A hundred on debut, six sixes in an over… and now, he's ready for his first ODI match. No better way to start than by opening the batting."

Ravi Shastri, sitting beside him, smirked. "ODIs are a different beast, Harsha. But if this kid is anything like what we saw in the T20s, then West Indies better be ready for some fireworks!"

As the umpires signaled the start of play, Advay and Rohit began walking onto the field, bats in hand, the crowd roaring in excitement.

It was time for another chapter in Advay Rai's journey.

The first ball of the match was in Sheldon Cottrell's hands, the left-arm pacer looking to redeem himself after the hammering he took in the T20Is. Advay Rai took guard, tapping the pitch twice, rolling his shoulders, and locking his eyes onto the bowler.

Cottrell charged in, angling the ball into the stumps. Advay simply leaned forward and flicked it effortlessly through midwicket for four. The ball raced across the lush green outfield, and the crowd erupted in applause.

Harsha Bhogle: "Oh, what a way to begin your ODI career! First ball in T20s was a six, and now he starts with a crisp boundary. The timing, the elegance—this boy belongs here!"

Ravi Shastri: "He's got all the time in the world, Harsha! And look at the confidence! No nerves whatsoever."

At the other end, Rohit Sharma started cautiously, rotating the strike, letting Advay take the aggressive route. In the third over, Oshane Thomas banged in a short ball, trying to unsettle the youngster. But Advay was ready—rocking back and pulling it with disdain over deep square leg for six!

India raced to 42/0 in 5 overs, and the pressure was already mounting on the West Indies bowlers.

Jason Holder, recognizing the need for control, brought himself into the attack in the 7th over. First ball—a good-length delivery shaping away. Advay, unfazed, stepped forward and drove it through extra cover for another four.

Holder tightened his line, keeping it outside off. Advay adjusted beautifully, this time playing a delicate late cut past short third man for four more.

Harsha Bhogle: "This is just class! Power when needed, finesse when required—Advay Rai is putting on a show here!"

By the 10th over, India had stormed to 82/0, with Advay on 47 off 32 balls and Rohit playing second fiddle.

West Indies desperately needed a breakthrough, and it finally came in the 11th over. Cottrell, sticking to his strength, angled in a sharp bouncer at Rohit. The ball climbed on him quicker than expected—he tried to hook but only managed a top edge straight to deep fine leg.

Rohit was gone for 28 off 36 balls. India 88/1.

Virat Kohli walked in, and the stadium erupted. The Indian captain greeted Advay with a quick fist bump. "You're set. Keep going."

Virat started with his usual intent, picking up ones and twos, but in the 15th over, West Indies struck again. Oshane Thomas bowled a full delivery, and Virat flicked it straight to midwicket! A stunned silence followed as the Indian captain walked back, dismissed for just 9 off 11 balls. India 102/2.

Ravi Shastri: "Oh, that's a rare failure for King Kohli! But here's the thing—India still has a well-set Advay Rai at the crease!"

Shreyas Iyer joined Advay, and the duo steadied the innings, rotating strike efficiently. The 19-year-old continued his dominance, punishing anything short or overpitched.

In the 18th over, Keemo Paul delivered a half-volley outside off, and Advay drove it on the up past cover. The timing was immaculate.

In the 21st over, Sunil Narine came into the attack, looking to slow things down. His first ball to Advay was a sharp, turning off-break, but the youngster danced down the track and lifted it cleanly over long-on for six.

India cruised past 150 in the 22nd over, with Advay now in the 80s, batting like he was in a trance.

But West Indies finally managed another wicket. Shreyas Iyer, looking to accelerate, tried to loft Narine over mid-off but didn't get enough power. Holder ran back and took a good catch.

Iyer was gone for 24 off 29. India 162/3 in 23 overs.

Advay, now in the 90s, continued batting with control. Keemo Paul delivered a full, straight ball in the 25th over, and Advay whipped it past midwicket for four, moving to 98.

Two balls later, Paul tried a yorker, but it turned into a low full toss. Advay leaned in and flicked it to the square-leg boundary. The ball raced past the fielder, and the crowd erupted.

A century on ODI debut.

Advay removed his helmet, raising his bat to acknowledge the roaring fans and his applauding teammates.

Harsha Bhogle: "This is simply unreal! A T20I hundred on debut, and now an ODI hundred on debut! What are we witnessing?"

Ravi Shastri: "We are witnessing the rise of a generational talent, Harsha! Advay Rai is making a mockery of international debuts!"

At the 25-over mark, India stood at a dominant 189/3, with Advay unbeaten on 102 off 77 balls—a knock filled with class, power, and pure genius.

As Advay Rai raised his bat, soaking in the thunderous applause from the crowd, his heart pounded—not from exhaustion, but from the sheer magic of the moment. A century on ODI debut, following his T20I heroics, was beyond even his wildest expectations.

He turned towards the Indian dressing room, where his teammates were on their feet, clapping and cheering. Rohit whistled, Virat nodded approvingly, and Pant pumped his fist in the air.

But then, as he lowered his bat, his eyes instinctively drifted toward the VIP stands, just slightly hoping—and there she was.

Ananya Pandey.

She was sitting in the front row of the private box, wearing a simple white top, her hair tied in a loose ponytail, clapping with a soft, proud smile on her face. For a second, Advay thought he was imagining things. He blinked, but she was still there.

And then—the camera caught it.

The broadcast feed zoomed in on Advay's face, following his gaze straight to the VIP stands, where Ananya was now fully visible on the big screen.

The crowd, already celebrating the hundred, erupted even louder when they saw what had just happened. Social media was about to explode.

Harsha Bhogle, always quick to notice things, couldn't resist.

"Oh, wait a second… Did we just catch a moment there? Advay Rai looked up, and… well, well, well, who's that in the stands?"

Ravi Shastri smirked. "Advay is making headlines on and off the field, Harsha!"

In the VIP box, Ananya realized she was on camera and quickly looked away, tucking her hair behind her ear, biting back a smile.

Back on the field, Advay exhaled sharply, smirking to himself. He tapped his bat against the ground and turned back to focus on the next delivery.

But inside, he knew—this century just became even more special.

As the final 25 overs unfolded, India showed no mercy, continuing their onslaught on the West Indies bowlers. The boundaries kept flowing, the partnerships kept building, and in the middle of it all, Advay Rai was scripting history.

With Hardik Pandya now at the crease after Rishabh Pant's dismissal in the 32nd over, the scoring rate accelerated even further. Hardik, as usual, wasted no time—blasting a straight six over long-off off Keemo Paul to announce his arrival.

At the other end, Advay was in a zone of his own.

In the 35th over, Jason Holder pitched it short, angling across off-stump. Advay leaned back and uppercut it over third man for six, the ball landing in the second tier.

Harsha Bhogle: "Oh, stop it, young man! This is just ridiculous now!"

By the 40th over, India had stormed to 320/4, with Advay unbeaten on 176 and Hardik dealing in sixes.

West Indies were running out of ideas, but that didn't stop Sheldon Cottrell from steaming in one last time in the 43rd over. First ball—Advay stepped down and flicked him over deep midwicket for a colossal six!

Next ball—a full toss outside off. Advay crunched it past extra cover for four.

India cruised past 350 in the 44th over, and Advay was on the brink of a historic double century on debut.

In the 47th over, with India at 375/5, Oshane Thomas ran in, firing a full-length ball on middle and leg.

Advay leaned in, timed the flick to perfection, and sent the ball soaring over deep square leg.

The ball sailed into the stands, and with it, history was made.

A double century on ODI debut.

The stadium erupted like never before. The Indian dressing room was on its feet. Rohit and Kohli were clapping furiously, while Pant and KL Rahul were cheering like madmen.

Advay, in the middle of the pitch, took off his helmet, bowed to the crowd, soaking in the historic moment.

Then, with a smirk, he held his bat up toward the VIP stands and blew a flying kiss with it—straight to Ananya.

The cameras instantly caught the moment, and in the VIP box, Ananya covered her face with her hands, laughing and blushing as the crowd went absolutely wild.

Harsha Bhogle, laughing in the commentary box: "Oh, and now we have an encore! First the century celebration, and now a flying kiss from Advay Rai! This young man is writing the perfect script today!"

Ravi Shastri: "A hundred in your first T20I, a double hundred in your first ODI… this is legendary stuff, Harsha!"

By the time the 50 overs ended, India had posted a monstrous 397/7, one of their highest totals ever in ODIs.

At the end of the innings, Advay walked back to a standing ovation from the crowd, finishing with:

Advay Rai – 210 off 127 balls (18x4, 12x6) – NOT OUT

His teammates gathered around, patting him on the back, shaking their heads in disbelief.

Kohli, walking beside him, smirked. "You know, you could've just scored a normal debut hundred like the rest of us."

Advay, still catching his breath, chuckled. "Where's the fun in that?"

And with that, India had set the West Indies a near-impossible target of 398.

India's dominant batting performance meant that West Indies needed 398 to win, a near-impossible task. From the very first over, the Indian bowlers put the pressure on, and wickets started tumbling quickly.

With Advay having played a marathon innings, the team management decided to substitute him during the second innings to manage his workload. He watched from the dressing room as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami tore through the top order, reducing West Indies to 57/4 in 12 overs.

Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran tried to counterattack, hitting a few boundaries, but their partnership didn't last long—Jasprit Bumrah returned and shattered Hetmyer's off-stump with an absolute peach.

India's spinners then took over, with Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav picking up wickets in quick succession. West Indies kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and by the 35th over, they were staring at defeat.

By the time the final wicket fell in the 42nd over, India had secured victory by a massive 156 runs.

The players walked off to cheers from the Guyana crowd, with the cameras constantly flashing toward Advay, who was still in his training gear, smiling from the dugout.

The dressing room was buzzing, with Virat Kohli clapping Rohit on the back, Hardik Pandya joking around, and KL Rahul scrolling through social media to check how the world was reacting to Advay's heroics.

With the first ODI in the bag, India now looked ahead to the second match in Trinidad, where they could seal the series.

As the team bus rolled out of the stadium, most of the players were relaxing after an easy win, chatting or scrolling through their phones. But one seat remained empty—Advay Rai's.

While the rest of the team headed back to the hotel, Advay had slipped away with Ananya.

She had rented a sleek Mini Cooper, a vibrant red that stood out against the quiet streets of Guyana. The sun had set, leaving the town bathed in warm streetlights, the roads mostly empty except for the occasional passing car.

Ananya, sitting in the driver's seat, glanced at Advay. "So, Mr. Double Century, how does it feel to be the man of the moment?"

Advay smirked, leaning back in the passenger seat. "Feels normal. Just another day in the office."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Humble as ever. The whole world is going crazy, and you're acting like you just finished a gym session."

He chuckled. "Well, technically, I did a lot of running today."

She laughed, shaking her head as she turned onto a quieter road, the city lights reflecting off the car's polished hood. They drove around for a while, neither in a hurry to go anywhere—just enjoying the rare peace in the middle of all the madness surrounding his debut.

At one point, they stopped at a small café, where she ordered a cold coffee, and he, sticking to his diet, settled for a bottle of water. They sat in the car, sipping their drinks, talking about everything except cricket—movies, travel, random childhood memories.

As the clock ticked past midnight, Ananya stretched her arms and sighed. "I should probably head back to my hotel."

Advay, resting his arm on the window, glanced at her. "Why don't you just stay with me instead?"

Her fingers, which had been lazily tapping on the steering wheel, froze.

She turned to look at him, eyes slightly wider. "W-what?"

Advay smirked. "Stay with me. My suite has plenty of space. Plus, this way, I don't have to worry about you sneaking off before breakfast."

She blinked a couple of times, clearly flustered, her grip tightening slightly on the steering wheel. "I—um—" she exhaled, looking away for a second. "I mean… yeah, okay. If you're sure."

Advay leaned back, watching her with amusement. "You agreed faster than I expected."

She shot him a glare. "Shut up."

He chuckled but said nothing as she turned the car toward The Ritz-Carlton, still slightly flustered but hiding it behind the focus of driving.