A/N: If you like the story, rember to give a review. It'll motivate to continue with sa passion ✌️😁
(A/N: I'm fast forwarding because I want to write about CLT20 and others. I'm busy with work too. Also, please give reviews, it'll increase my book reach to wider audience.👍)
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Qualifier 1, 21 May 2013
Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
The night air was thick with tension.
33,000 fans turned the Kotla into a roaring beast under floodlights.
Yellow dominated, but pockets of blue MI flags waved desperately.
In the East Stand, a group of fans from Odisha living Delhi also attended to show support and kept chanting:
"RU-DRA! RU-DRA!"
Extraaa Innings T20 Pre-match:
Harsha Bhogle: "Six weeks ago, this boy was carrying drinks and taking stunning catches as a substitute fielder. Then he beca the opener and powered Mumbai Indians into the top two. Tonight, 18-year-old Rocky Rudra faces his biggest test. Qualifier 1. No more league stage cushion. This is do-or-die."
Danny Morrison: "He plays like a young Ricky Ponting. That aggression, that pull shot… CSK will try to bounce him out. But this kid? He doesn't blink."
___
Twitter buzz (already trending #RockyRudra #MIvsCSK):
@MI_Paltan: "From water boy to playoff opener. Rudra better not choke tonight 😬"
@CuttackKaTiger: "Our 18 yo boy from Cuttack is facing Dhoni & csk in playoffs. Heart in mouth!!"
___
CSK innings: 192/3 (Hussey 74, Raina 62, Bravo 28*)
Rocky owned the field again.
In the 7th over, Raina smashed one towards point.
The ball flew flat and hard.
Rocky, at backward point, took two explosive steps [Predator's Pounce] and dived low to his left.
The ball stuck inches above the grass.
Clean as glue.
(A/N: I'll write those skills once in a while.)
Harsha Bhogle was shouting:
"Unbelievable! That is sheer athleticism from the 18-year-old! He saved four runs there like it was nothing!"
The MI dugout erupted.
John Wright clapped hard.
He was proud for his vision.
His gamble which was ridiculed before the start of the season, now showed the world that he was damn right.
___
MI chase: 193 needed.
MI reached 72/2 in 8.2 overs when Rocky Rudra walked in at number 3 for today ga.
Run rate required: 8.9. Playoffs pressure was visible, even Rohit looked tense.
The crowd noise rose to a deafening level as the 18-year-old took guard.
Ball 1 – Ravichandran Ashwin (off-break, tossed up)
The ball drifted in the air and pitched on middle.
Rocky's eyes narrowed.
[Punter's Instinct] kicked in, he read the length early, rocked back, and whipped it with that short-arm action [Iron-Wrist Pull].
The ball raced past mid-wicket and crashed into the boundary for FOUR.
Harsha: "First ball boundary! The kid is not here to respect the occasion!"
Ball 3 – Ashwin (quicker, flatter)
Ball hurried onto him.
Rocky went deep in the crease and pulled it fiercely over square leg for SIX.
The sound of the bat was crisp, like a gunshot.
Danny Morrison: "Oh hello! That's the Ponting pull! Short arm, high elbow, pure power!"
Next over Ball 6– Jadeja (fired in flat)
Jadeja gave him the stare and muttered sothing.
[Shared Aggression] triggered.
Rocky's bat speed surged.
He danced down the track and smashed it straight over Jadeja's head for SIX.
Crowd reaction split half stunned silence, half MI roar.
The Odisha section went wild.
___
Over 11.4– Dwayne Bravo (slower bouncer)
Ball ca short, climbing towards his chest.
Most 18-year-olds would duck.
Rocky swiveled brutally on the back foot [Iron-Wrist Pull 40% power] and sent the ball sailing into the mid-wicket stands.
SIX.
Harsha was excited: "He is treating international bowlers like club bowlers! 18 years old, first playoff innings, and he's playing with zero fear!"
Scorecard: MI 118/3 in 13 overs. Rocky 48* off 19 balls.
Over 15.2 – Ashwin (carrom ball)
The ball spun away sharply.
Rocky picked it late but adjusted beautifully, going inside-out through extra cover for a scorching FOUR.
The timing was exquisite, the ball seed to fly like a laser.
Over 17.5 – Jadeja (quicker delivery)
Ball kept low. Rocky punched it off the back foot through point.
The fielder dived but couldn't stop it.
FOUR.
Last over- MI needed 14 runs.
Bravo to bowl. Rocky on 89*.
Ball 1: Short ball. Rocky rocked back and pulled it flat over mid-wicket for SIX.
Ball 2: Yorker attempt. Rocky dug it out and flicked it to deep mid-wicket for TWO.
Ball 3: Slower bouncer. Rocky waited, then smashed it over long-on for SIX.
MI win by 4 wickets.
Rocky Rudra: 103* off 47 balls, his maiden IPL century, and in a playoff match.
____
The final six had barely landed when the Feroz Shah Kotla turned into pure bedlam.
MI players spilled onto the field, hugging and jumping like schoolkids.
In the stands, blue jerseys were screaming themselves hoarse while the yellow ones sat stunned.
"ROCKY! ROCKY!" rang out in waves, growing louder each ti soone new joined in.
Ravi Shastri managed to pull Rocky aside for a quick on-field chat as the boy tried to slip back toward the dugout.
Jersey soaked, bat still in hand, Rocky looked more exhausted than euphoric.
"Rocky," Shastri said with a big smile, "A hundred and three not out in your first playoff match. Talk to us."
Rocky wiped sweat from his face and gave a small shrug.
"Just tried to play each ball as it ca, sir. The team backed nicely."
Ravi Shastri laughed.
"Each ball as it ca? You made it look easy out there!"
A few yards away, Rohit Sharma lifted the boy off his feet in a massive hug while Sachin Tendulkar stood watching with a quiet, proud smile.
Ricky Ponting, the man who had stepped aside weeks earlier, walked over and gave Rocky a firm clap on the back.
"That's the way, kid. You earned this."
___
In the Extraaa Innings Experts panel, the post-match panel was electric.
Harsha Bhogle could barely contain himself.
"Let put it this way, I've seen a lot of debuts, but an 18-year-old walking in during a Qualifier and scoring a hundred like that? That was special. The reflexes, the way he got into position so early… it genuinely reminded of a young Ricky Ponting."
Danny Morrison who was grinning, spoke with that annoying smirk on his face, "Reminded? Mate, that was Ponting reincarnate! The short-arm pull, the swagger after that six off Jadeja… I'm telling you, this boy has sothing different."
"What do you think, Ricky?"
Cara shifted to Ricky Ponting, MI ex-captain, joining via video link from the ground, spoke seriously.
"I dropped myself for a reason. I saw it in the nets. Tonight he once again showed everyone else. He's got that fire in him. Really happy for the kid."
"Let be honest, I never believed John till I saw it with my eyes. His hand-eye coordination is pretty much insane. I don't want to talk much on his fielding, everyone knows that Rocky on the field is soone we can absolutely trust."
Ponting paused then continued, "Look, I've seen a lot of kids co through, but this character, they've got serious talent, maybe so of the best hand-eye coordination I've ever seen. But as I always say, you can have all the skill in the world, but if you don't have the right attitude and that commitnt to change, you're wasting everyone's ti. They've got to decide if they want to be a warrior like a Virat Kohli and single-handedly win matches, or if they're just going to be another 'what if'."
Sanjay Manjrekar, keeping it asured but clearly impressed: "What stood out for was the temperant. First playoff match, big chase, big crowd, he didn't look flustered once. That's rare at 18."
Shane Warne, never shy, fired off a tweet during the show:
"Just watched the future. @RockyRudra that pull shot is pure filth. Welco to the big stage, son! 🔥 #IPL"
___
Twitter was exploding.
@cricketlover93: "18 saal ka ladka scoring a ton in Qualifier 1??? MI found the next big thing 🔥"
@iplfanatic: "From taking catches as sub-fielder to playoff centurion. Fairytale stuff. Rudra you legend!"
@espncricinfo: "Rocky Rudra 103* off 47 in his first IPL playoff innings. Mumbai Indians march into the final. What a night."
@TheVijayMallya: "18-year-old Rudra scores 103* in Qualifier 1. Ponting DNA is real. #NewSuperstar"
Even Virat Kohli, whose RCB had already been knocked out, tweeted:
"What a knock by young Rocky Rudra. That aggression and timing 🔥 Well played champ. #MI"
___
News channels wasted no ti.
Headlines flashed across screens:
"THE NEW PUNTER ARRIVES"
"18-YEAR-OLD RUDRA LIGHTS UP QUALIFIER 1"
In living rooms and bars across the country, people who had tuned in for a normal match were suddenly calling friends.
"Did you see that boy? Arre, he's going places."
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