Chapter 74 :

On February 3, 2020, the team decided to head out for a celebratory dinner after their dominant 5-0 series sweep. The mood was light, the atmosphere lively, and for once, there was no pressure of an upcoming match.

As they arrived at an upscale restaurant, KL Rahul grinned, nudging Advay. "Bhai, since you're the Liverpool FC owner now, I hope we're going somewhere fancy."

Advay smirked. "Don't worry, it's on me. Order whatever you want."

Rishabh Pant clapped his hands together. "Bas yahi sunna tha!" (That's all I wanted to hear!)

The players burst into laughter as they settled in, ready for an evening of good food, jokes, and celebrations.

As the team settled in, Chahal leaned toward Shubman Gill, an amused grin on his face.

"Bata bhai, hai koi special?" (Tell us, man, is there someone special?)

Gill, who was in the middle of taking a sip of water, nearly choked, his eyes widening. "Huh? What?"

The rest of the team burst into laughter, while Rohit Sharma smirked. "Arre, Chahal pooch raha hai ki girlfriend hai ya nahi." (Chahal's asking if you have a girlfriend or not.)

Gill, still flustered, quickly shook his head. "N-nahi yaar, kuch nahi aisa!" (No, man, nothing like that!)

Chahal wasn't convinced. He turned to Advay. "Bhai, tu toh sab jaanta hai. Sach bata, Gill kisiko date kar raha hai?" (Bro, you know everything. Tell us the truth, is Gill dating someone?)

Advay smirked, enjoying Gill's discomfort. "Woh toh Gill hi batayega." (That's for Gill to answer.)

Gill sighed, shaking his head. "Bhai, main single hoon, ab bas karo." (I'm single, now drop it.)

Pant grinned. "Filhaal toh single hai, par DM check karna padega. Century mara hai, kuch toh aya hoga." (For now, he's single, but we need to check his DMs. He scored a century, there must be something.)

The whole table erupted into laughter, while Gill covered his face, shaking his head.

Chahal, still in full teasing mode, suddenly turned to Rohit Sharma, leaning in with a mischievous grin.

"Accha Rohit bhai, aap batao… bhabhi se kaise mile the?" (Alright, Rohit bhai, tell us… how did you meet bhabhi?)

Rohit, who had just taken a bite of food, paused mid-chew, raising an eyebrow. "Kya? Ab meri bhi poochta hai?" (What? Now you're questioning me too?)

The rest of the team chuckled, sensing another fun story coming up.

KL Rahul smirked. "Bhai, bata do. We all know the 'Hitman' story, but what about the love story?"

Rohit sighed dramatically, shaking his head. "Bhai, ye dinner hai ya interrogation?" (Is this a dinner or an interrogation?)

Pant grinned. "Bas batao na! Romance ke bina dinner adhoora lagta hai!" (Just tell us! The dinner feels incomplete without some romance!)

Rohit finally gave in, setting down his fork. "Thik hai, suno." (Alright, listen.)

Everyone leaned in, eager to hear how the Hitman of Indian cricket had found his match.

Rohit leaned back in his chair, smirking as he saw everyone waiting for his story.

"Alright, fine. I met Ritika during a shoot. She was working as a sports manager at the time, handling a few cricketers, and we just happened to cross paths."

The team listened intently, some nodding, others smirking, already guessing where this was going.

"At first, it was all professional. She was managing some of my work too, and we interacted mostly because of that. But over time, we started talking more, getting to know each other."

KL Rahul chuckled. "So, who made the first move?"

Rohit smirked. "Not me."

Everyone laughed, while Chahal leaned forward. "No way, bhabhi made the first move?"

Rohit shook his head. "No, I mean… it just happened naturally. We became close friends first. She was always there—at matches, during tough times, keeping me grounded."

Advay nodded, understanding. "So, when did you realize she was the one?"

Rohit smiled. "I think I always knew. But if I had to pick a moment… it was when I scored my first double hundred in ODIs. She was there, and the first thing I did after celebrating was look for her in the stands. That's when I knew."

The table fell momentarily silent, the weight of the moment sinking in.

Rishabh Pant clapped dramatically. "Bhai, this is straight out of a Bollywood movie."

Rohit rolled his eyes, but there was a rare softness in his expression. "Well, that's how it happened."

Chahal grinned. "Respect, Rohit bhai. A true love story."

The conversation shifted to more teasing and jokes, but the moment lingered—a reminder that even in a world of records and stadiums, some victories were personal.

Virat leaned back, crossing his arms, a small smirk on his face as he saw everyone waiting for his story.

"Alright, fine. It was back in 2013. I was asked to do a shoot for a shampoo brand, and when I got to the set, I found out Anushka was my co-star."

KL Rahul raised an eyebrow. "You met during a shampoo ad?"

Virat chuckled. "Yeah, believe it or not. I was a bit nervous at first. I mean, she was already a big Bollywood star, and I had never done a professional ad shoot before."

Rishabh Pant grinned. "Bhai, nervous? You?"

Virat shook his head. "Yeah, man. I was all serious, trying to act professional, but the first thing I said to her when we met was—'You have to make me look good, huh?'

The whole table burst into laughter, while Rohit shook his head. "That's the most Virat thing I've ever heard."

Virat smirked. "She laughed at that too. I guess that broke the ice. We spent the whole day shooting, talking in between takes. I thought that would be it, just a one-time meeting."

Chahal leaned in. "But…?"

Virat nodded. "But then, we kept in touch. I don't even remember how or when, but we just started talking more—texting, calling, meeting up whenever we were in the same city."

Advay, listening quietly, finally spoke. "So when did you know she was the one?"

Virat was silent for a second, thinking. Then, a soft smile appeared. "2016. That was a tough year for me personally. I was going through a lot, and she was always there, supporting me without ever asking for anything in return. That's when I knew—this wasn't just some temporary thing. She was different."

The table fell silent for a moment, the weight of his words settling in.

Rohit smirked. "And now look at you, married and ruling the world together."

Virat nodded. "Yeah, wouldn't change a thing."

Chahal clapped his hands dramatically. "Bhai, ekdum filmy love story." (Bro, straight out of a movie.)

Virat rolled his eyes, shaking his head as the team burst into laughter, the dinner filled with more teasing, jokes, and stories of life beyond cricket.

Chahal, still riding the wave of curiosity, turned to Advay, smirking. "Alright, your turn, boss."

Virat, leaning forward, grinned. "We already know how you met Ananya, so just tell us—what made you realize she was the one?"

The table fell silent, all eyes on Advay.

He exhaled, setting down his glass. "It was after the 2019 IPL final."

Rohit and a few others nodded immediately, remembering the intense match.

"I had just lost. I gave everything that season, broke records, but in the end… I couldn't win. And that broke me. I was sitting alone in the locker room, completely drained."

The players listened intently, the mood shifting.

"Then she came."

Advay's voice was calm, but there was a weight to his words.

"She waited outside the locker room for me. When I walked out, I didn't say anything, and neither did she. She just hugged me."

A quiet pause.

"And in that moment, I knew."

Chahal, for once, didn't crack a joke. KL Rahul nodded, understanding the depth of what Advay had just said.

"Damn," Rishabh Pant muttered, shaking his head. "That's real."

Rohit smiled. "Guess we all have that moment, huh?"

Advay simply shrugged, but there was no need to say anything more. Everyone understood.

As the conversation settled, Advay smirked and turned to Chahal.

"Alright, enough about us. Now it's your turn, Chahal. Explain yourself."

The entire table burst into laughter, knowing exactly what Advay was doing.

"Haan bhai," (Yeah, bro), KL Rahul chimed in. "You've been questioning everyone, now tell us—what's happening in your life?"

Chahal, who had been enjoying everyone else's stories, suddenly looked flustered.

"Arre, mere baare mein kya sunna hai? Main toh simple banda hoon!" (What is there to hear about me? I'm just a simple guy!)

Rohit raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Simple? Bro, we've seen your Instagram. You're always flirting in the comments section!"

The whole table roared with laughter, while Chahal covered his face.

"Bhai, chhodo yeh sab!" (Bro, leave all this!)

But Advay wasn't letting him off that easy.

"No, no. You grilled everyone. Now it's payback time."

Chahal looked around, searching for an escape, but the entire team was waiting for his answer—and there was no way out.

Chahal sighed dramatically, realizing there was no escape. He took a sip of water, then looked around at everyone grinning at him.

"Alright, fine. Since you all won't let me go, I'll tell you."

The team leaned in, eager for the story.

"It started through Instagram."

Rishabh Pant clapped his hands, laughing. "I KNEW IT! Chahal bhai and Instagram are inseparable!"

The table burst into laughter, while Chahal shook his head. "Listen first, idiots!"

He continued. "I had been talking to this girl for a while. She's not from the cricket world, but we connected over random things—memes, movies, and just normal life stuff."

KL Rahul smirked. "Bro, full Instagram love story."

"It's not like that!" Chahal protested, but his red ears gave him away.

Advay chuckled. "So, have you met her yet?"

Chahal nodded. "Yeah, we met a couple of times. She's really cool, doesn't care about cricket or fame, and that's what I like about her."

Virat grinned. "So, when are we meeting bhabhi?"

Chahal threw his hands up. "Bhai, abhi toh bas baat ho rahi hai! Tum log shadi tak pohonch gaye!" (Bro, we're just talking! You guys are already planning the wedding!)

Rohit patted his shoulder. "Chahal, yeh team hai. We don't just play cricket together, we take full investigative reports on each other's lives."

The entire table roared with laughter, while Chahal just shook his head, defeated.

As March 2, 2020, rolled in, the Indian team had completed a dominant tour, sweeping both the ODI and Test series against New Zealand.

After a grueling third Test, where Advay marked his return from injury with a stunning 239, he was now back in his hotel room, lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone.

Twitter and Instagram were exploding with reactions to India's dominant series win and Advay's incredible 239 in the third Test.

@CricketFever_07: "This guy just came back from injury and smashed 239 like it was a net session. Unreal. #AdvayRai #NextLevel"

@SachinsLegacy: "We are officially out of adjectives. Advay Rai is built different. Simple as that. #KingRai"

@NZCricketFan: "At this point, the only way to stop Advay is if he decides to stop himself. Man is a cheat code."

@ESPNCricinfo: "Advay Rai now averages 98.7 in Tests overseas. Let that sink in."

@CricMemesOfficial: (Meme of bowlers looking helpless with the caption:) "NZ bowlers when they see Advay coming out to bat—'Ab bas karo bhai'"

@MichaelVaughan: "Advay Rai is not just the future of Indian cricket, he is the present. What a player. What a mindset."

@BCCI: "239 reasons why Advay Rai's comeback was worth the wait! 🔥💯💯 #INDvNZ"

@AnanyaPandayFanClub: "Meanwhile, Ananya Panday liking every post about Advay… goals. 🥰"

Advay smirked as he scrolled through, shaking his head at some of the memes. He loved this part—the chaos, the praise, even the jokes.

After scrolling through the endless reactions, Advay smirked, set his phone aside for a moment, then picked it back up to dial Ananya.

She answered almost immediately, her voice teasing. "Took you long enough."

Advay chuckled. "Figured I'd let you enjoy the Twitter meltdown first."

She sighed dramatically. "239? Really? You just had to make a statement, huh?"

"Wasn't planned," he said casually. "Just happened."

She groaned. "Ugh, I hate you."

He smirked. "No, you don't."

A pause. Then, softer, she admitted, "I don't. I actually… miss you."

Advay leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "I love you, Ananya."

She was quiet for a second before whispering, "I love you too, Advay."

For a moment, neither spoke, just listening to each other breathe.

Then she yawned. "Alright, Mr. Superstar, get some sleep. You've broken enough records for one day."

He smirked. "Goodnight, Ananya."

"Goodnight, Advay."

As the call ended, Advay placed his phone on the nightstand, a rare sense of peace washing over him.

After the intense New Zealand series, Advay had barely unpacked his bags when the world changed overnight. The pandemic brought everything to a standstill—cricket tours were canceled, stadiums emptied, and life as he knew it came to a halt.

For the first time in years, there were no matches to prepare for, no flights to catch, no team meetings—just long, quiet days at home. But Advay wasn't one to sit idle.

Every morning, he trained. Batting drills, fitness sessions, shadow practice—he kept himself sharp, knowing that cricket would return eventually, and when it did, he'd be ready.

Evenings, though, were different.

His phone buzzed at the same time every day. Ananya.

"Missed me?" she teased the moment he picked up.

Advay smirked. "It's been exactly twenty-four hours since your last call. Try harder."

She rolled her eyes. "Excuse me for keeping your boring self entertained."

It became a routine. Late-night video calls, conversations that stretched for hours, filled with sarcasm, banter, and moments neither of them acknowledged but both secretly enjoyed.

One evening, as she lounged on her bed, scrolling through her phone, she sighed dramatically. "I was supposed to be on set right now. Instead, I'm stuck here, making your life interesting."

Advay leaned back against his headboard, arms crossed. "Funny. I was going to say the same thing."

Ananya narrowed her eyes. "You? Making my life interesting?"

"Obviously," he said, deadpan. "Otherwise, why would you call me every day?"

She opened her mouth to argue but paused. He had a point.

Instead, she huffed. "Ugh, I hate you."

"Sure you do," he smirked.

And just like that, another night passed in effortless conversation.

Neither of them said it, but they both knew—lockdown or not, this was their new normal.