Training Arc: From Mohalla King to Trial Beast

The afternoon sun beat down on Nawabganj Lane No. 5, turning the cracked street into a frying pan. Arjun stood right in the middle — soaked in sweat, gamcha hanging off his neck, his bat resting like a sword on his shoulder.

Right beside him floated Sania System, her holographic screen flickering like a stubborn tube light.

Sania: "Beta, Jubilee pe hero ban gaye the, par District Trials mein koi 'Local Legend Discount' nahi milega."

(Kid, you became a hero at Jubilee, but there's no 'Local Legend Discount' at the trials.)

Arjun grinned, wiping his face. "Bas dialogue maarne se selection nahi hota, maloom hai. Ab training batao."

(I know just spitting dialogues won't get me selected. Now tell me the training plan.)

🏏 Training Mode Activated: District Trials Prep Grind

Target Skills:

✔️ Cover Drive Mastery — Shot Perfection Drills

✔️ Swing Bowling Refinement — Seam Control & Swing Angles

✔️ Outfield Agility — Speed, Reflex & Direct Hits

✔️ Stamina Upgrade — Endurance + Desi Cardio Combo

Daily Routine (Approved by Sania Cricket Academy):

🔹 5 AM: Flyover Sprints + Roadside Jog

🔹 7 AM: Technical Shots Drill (Cover Drive, Square Cut Focus)

🔹 11 AM: Bowling Accuracy (Drain Edge Target Practice)

🔹 4 PM: Street Match Simulations (Under Pressure Mode)

🔹 7 PM: Reflex & Fielding Wars (Rubber Ball Chaos Drill)

🔹 9 PM: Mental Strength Boost (Sania's Motivational Attacks)

Arjun stared at the insane schedule. "Yeh training hai ya Roadies ka survival task?"

(Is this training or a Roadies survival challenge?)

Sania: "Beta, Mohalla King dialogues se bane the. District King fitness se banega."

(Kid, you became Mohalla King with dialogues. District King needs fitness.)

Scene 1: Cover Drive Jail — The Wall of Perfection

Outside Bunty Bhai's shop, Sania had drawn a chalk box on the wall — the 'perfect cover drive zone.' Arjun had 100 balls to hit it right. Miss the zone? Back to zero.

Golu fired fast underarm deliveries from 10 feet away. Arjun's hands stung after the first 30 shots. After 50, his palms had blisters.

Count: 17 out of 100.

Golu: "Bhai, cricket try kar rahe ho ya Engineering ka backlog clear?"

(Bro, are you training for cricket or clearing an engineering backlog?)

Arjun: "Backlog nahi — debut match ki first cover drive yahi se aayegi."

(Not backlog — my debut match cover drive will come from this.)

Scene 2: Swing Bowling — Gutterline Masterclass

Nawabganj's narrow drain became his bowling corridor. Sania's rule:

Swing the ball to kiss the drain edge and curve back into imaginary off-stump. 10 in a row = clear. One wide = restart.

Sania: "Gully ka 'laga to laga' swing trial pe nahi chalega. Controlled swing chahiye."

(Street cricket's 'hope it swings' trick won't work in trials. You need controlled swing.)

The first day? 3 out of 10. By Day 5, Arjun was hitting 8 in a row. Bunty Bhai walked past, whistling.

"Arre, apna Arjun toh swing ka Nawab ban raha hai!"

(Hey, our Arjun's becoming the swing king!)

Scene 3: Flyover King — Desi Stamina Upgrade

Every morning, Arjun ran barefoot up the old railway flyover, gamcha tied Rambo-style, Sania blasting Rocky-level motivation in his ear.

Sania: "Beta, trials mein stamina tuti toh footwork bhi tutega. Dono bachaa ke chalna."

(Kid, if your stamina breaks, your footwork will break too. Protect both.)

By the end of the week, even tea stall uncles called him "Flyover Express."

Scene 4: Reflex War — Rubber Ball Chaos

Every night under the flickering streetlight, Arjun stood alone while Golu and Arif fired rubber balls from rooftops, balconies, and corners.

Rule:

No ball crosses Arjun. Every clean catch = 1 point. Miss = 10 pushups.

Sania: "Beta, fielding trial mein tumhara pehla impression hi catching pe banega. Drop karoge toh trial se bhi drop."

(Kid, at trials your first impression is in the field. Drop a catch, and you're dropped too.)

Arjun's palms swelled like balloons, but by the end of Week 1, even one-handed blind catches became routine.

The Self-Doubt Night

Three days before trials, Arjun lay flat on his rooftop, bat beside him, eyes locked on the sky.

Doubt whispered — "What if all this isn't enough? What if they only see a street kid trying too hard?"

Sania's hologram flickered beside him, her voice softer than usual.

Sania: "Beta, Jubilee crowd jaanti thi tum kaun ho. Trials pe koi nahi jaanta — sirf tumhara game bolega."

(Kid, Jubilee crowd knew who you were. At trials, only your game will speak.)

Arjun laughed quietly. "Game bolega pakka — par thoda luck bhi toh chahiye."

(My game will speak — but some luck would help too.)

Sania: "Luck ke liye toh Rhea ka number already hai."

(For luck, you already have Rhea's number.)

Arjun shook his head, laughing into the humid Nawabganj night. Doubts could wait. There were still drills to crush and dreams to catch.

📊 Sania System Reminder:

"Mohalla King se District Champion tak — progress 76%."

(From Street King to District Champion — progress 76%.)

Arjun stood up, spinning his bat with a familiar swagger.

"Lucknow ki galiyon se stadium tak — apun full ready hai."

(From Lucknow's streets to the stadium — I'm fully ready.)