Champs of Devgarh , livre ebook

Penguin Books Ltd - Aditya Sharma

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

89 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Growing up with the country's favourite sport! In Devgarh, a fictional town, the boys of the Star Eleven cricket team are the good and bad boys of the Holy Mission School. Captained by Ajay but led by Aakash, the team, both individually and together, get into one scrape after another with only one goal in sight being the best cricketing school side in Devgarh. The R P Memorial Trophy is the most prestigious tournament in the district and the boys have a number of obstacles to overcome, not the least of which is finding a coach. Follow their antics and pranks as they go through a gamut of experiences from learning the value of money and honesty, first love, examination blues, victory and perseverance and transform into the Champs of Devgarh! Full of action and fun, this book is a charming and hugely exciting coming-of-age tale.

Informations

Publié par	Penguin Books Ltd
Date de parution	15 février 2014
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9789351186281
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0400€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Aditya Sharma

Champs of Devgarh

PUFFIN BOOKS
Contents
About the Author
Dedication
Part I
Mr Fix It
Crime and Punishment
Cash from Scrap
First Love
Raining Fours and Sixes
Part II
Examination Blues
Fakira, My Best Friend
Rotten Luck
Hurray! Exams Over!
Redeeming Honour
From Hero to Zero
Bursting Crackers
A Chief Guest from Bollywood
Part III
A Coach for the Star Eleven
Plugging the Holes
Cricket Fever in Devgarh
The Mother of all Matches
A Battle of Nerves
Awards and Rewards
Acknowledgements
Read More in Puffin
Follow Penguin
Copyright
PUFFIN BOOKS
CHAMPS OF DEVGARH
Aditya Sharma grew up in Sonipat, aspiring to be a cricketer. When his not-so-distinguished cricket career went for a toss, he studied Law at Delhi University and then practiced in his hometown for a couple of years-until he discovered that he wanted to be a writer. Aditya started by freelancing for various national newspapers and magazines. When a weekly publication took him on as a journalist in New Delhi, he was more than relieved to be rescued from a lawyer s drab life in the district courts. His articles and short stories have been published in The Hindu, The Tribune, Sahara Time and Life Positive . Currently, he works as an editor with Reader s Digest in Mumbai. He can be reached at aditya.devgarh@gmail.com
For my mother
Part I
Mr Fix It
S hining the ball on his white trousers, Aakash signalled to the fine leg fielder to move to his left. A cursory glance at the other fielders assured the Star Eleven fast bowler that the field was set just the way he wanted. He closed his eyes for a split second, muttered a quick prayer and sprinted at the batsman. The President s Club required 4 runs off the last 3 balls but it had lost nine wickets. Sending five batsmen back to the pavilion, Aakash had wrecked the opposition s batting. He knew that just one good ball could make all the difference.
The batsman seemed to be thinking the same thing-only in his case, it was a matter of one good stroke. As Aakash bowled with an aggressive follow through, the batsman swung his bat, hoping to send the ball soaring over the ropes. Deviating from its track, the in-swinger came in quickly at the batsman and crashed into the stumps through the gap between the batsman s pad and bat. The bails flew up and the middle-stump somersaulted to the thrilled wicketkeeper. Smiling broadly, Aakash pumped his fist before going off on a victorious run. Sitting on the boundary wall, a handful of spectators clapped and whistled. The Star Eleven team raced towards Aakash from all over the field, hugging and patting him joyfully.
As was customary in Devgarh, the two teams had played for prize money. Ajay, the Star Eleven captain, shook hands with the rival captain and took five hundred rupees from him. As the President s Club team made a quiet exit from the ground, the Star Eleven players flung themselves on the grass outside the boundary line, basking in the warmth of their victory. Comprising Class Ten students from Devgarh s prestigious Holy Mission School, the Star Eleven team ranked among the top teams in town, capable of challenging even the mighty Lajpat Rai Sports School team.
Once again Aakash s deadly deliveries had the batsmen all worked up, exclaimed Sunil, the Star Eleven opening batsman. Had it not been for him, the President s Club would have been waiting here for Murari s chaat while we would have been home, our faces buried in our books!
You re being too generous, Sunil, said Aakash, what if their last batsman had connected bat on ball? Instead of a wicket, it could have been a boundary.
Pity we made just 93 runs in 20 overs, said Madan, their medium-pace bowler, we need to score more runs in our next match.
Score more runs, my foot! Aakash sounded slightly irritated.
With a tall frame, swaggering gait and a crop of brown hair, Aakash was a delight to watch on the field. His fluent bowling action and lightning-speed deliveries had earned him the name Marshall -after the fearsome West Indian fast bowler who had terrorized many a batsman in his heyday. And it was not only bowling that he was good at. A powerful hitter, Aakash had won several matches for his team with his bat. He was also like greased lightning in the field-it was a brave batsman who risked taking a run when Aakash had the ball in his hands.
More than a year ago, when Aakash had failed Class Nine, his new classmates were reluctant to accept the burly boy into their fold-until he helped them win a cricket match against their seniors. A few of his classmates requested him to join the Star Eleven, their team, and become their captain. He accepted the first offer but declined the second. Ajay is doing a good job. Why replace him? he had said to them.
Aakash helped his classmates improve their game, transforming the Star Eleven into a formidable unit. They began to take on teams they had earlier been intimidated by and even those teams with players two or three years their senior. Gradually, Aakash became popular not only with the Star Eleven players but also with the entire class.
Is this the first time we ve batted poorly? Aakash continued in a louder voice. We haven t been making decent scores for weeks now. And how are we expected to get them with the bats we have? We also need pads, hand gloves, helmets and other protective gear!
A cricket kit will cost a bomb, said Ashwini, the other opening batsman. Perhaps we could bat more cautiously
Man, talk sense! Aakash shook his head furiously. It s like saying drive a two-wheeler safely and you won t need a helmet . Pass me the score book!
Ajay handed over the notebook. Aakash flicked it open and held it up so everyone could see.
Star Eleven Vs President s Club, Sunday, 29 June, 2008. Sunil Kapoor: 1, 1, 4, 1 7, bowled, Vishal Ashwini Bansal: 1, 1, 1, 2 5, caught and bowled, Prateek Ajay Pruthi (Captain): 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1 7, lb, Prateek Chetan Dheer: 1, 2 3, bowled, Vishal, caught Kartik Pawan Chauhan: 1, 1, 1 3, bowled, Vishal Dinesh Rawat (Wicketkeeper): 2, 1, 1, 2, 1 7, hit wicket, bowled Kartik Aakash Singh (Vice Captain): 4, 4, 2, 6, 2, 2 20, bowled, Vivek, caught Ramit Karan Tripathi: 2,4,1,2 9, run out Prakash Maheshwari: 2, 2, 4, 2 10, bowled, Harish, caught Priyank Ravi Khanna: 1, 4, 2, 4 11, bowled, Sanjay Madan Pal: 2, 1, 2, 1 6, not out Extras 5 Total Score 93 in 19.3 overs
Now, what does this tell you? Aakash demanded.
W-well, I agree we should have scored more, said Ashwini.
And didn t you notice that most of our runs were scored by our lower order against slow bowlers. Do you have any idea why our top order keeps collapsing?
Why? mumbled Ashwini meekly.
Because our top-order batsmen are under constant fire from fast bowlers. Fearing a nasty hit, they end up gifting their wickets to them.
Haan yaar, Ajay agreed immediately, it is scary to face the pacers without any safety gear. When the ball is new, it bounces and swings a lot! And when it hits, it hurts!
Imagine the consequences, added Aakash, if any of us gets hurt by a ball. It would be the end of our cricket days. Do you think our parents would allow us to play if they hear one of us is wrapped in plaster of Paris?
I agree, said Pawan, but where do we get the money to buy the kit?
Our rivals won t arrange it for us, said Aakash, we have to help ourselves.
But how, my dear friend? asked Ajay.
Look, guys, Aakash suggested, each one of us gets about five hundred rupees as monthly pocket money. And we squander it over cold drinks, snacks, movies, video games, surfing the net and mobile recharges. Right?
Yes, mumbled some of his teammates hesitantly.
If, just for a few days, he proposed, we rein in our taste buds and cut down other expenses, we can save enough to buy a cricket kit.
We can t give up our entire pocket money! Pawan protested. There are unavoidable expenses, like getting our bicycles repaired if they break down, buying stationery and cricket balls for our Sunday matches. And we need to recharge our mobiles to stay in touch.
What about saving just half our pocket money? If we do that, we can collect about Rs 6000 in two months!
Gupta Uncle, who had been a silent spectator till then, suddenly pitched in, Here, take two hundred bucks from me right away. But don t let your auntie get the slightest whiff of it, otherwise all hell will break loose. He pulled out his wallet and handed over two crisp hundred-rupee notes to Ajay. A clean-shaven man of average height and lean build, Gupta Uncle was not only the Star Eleven s twelfth man but also their ATM, who often plugged the team s financial crises within minutes. His teammates considered him less an uncle and more a comrade.
While Gupta Uncle had managed to rid himself of his teen pastimes as he progressed into adulthood, he could not curb his obsession with cricket. Whenever any of the Star Eleven regulars failed to turn up for a match, Gupta Uncle filled the vacant slot with rapturous delight. Since his game was hardly better than that of his teammates, the rival teams didn t mind a forty-plus man playing for the Star Eleven.
A senior accountant in a public-sector bank in Devgarh, he often entertained his cricket-loving colleagues with his vast knowledge of the sport. He could predict the outcome of any international match with a fair degree of accuracy! He could even rattle off the lesser-known cricket facts of several international players.
Gupta Uncle s generous donation provided the necessary stimulus and soon the contagion spread.
I m willing to put in more than two hundred and fifty bucks this month, said Pawan.
Me too, added Sunil.
Mark four hundred against my name, roared Aakash. No more joyrides with Fakira on his Bullet. The money I spend on fuel and eating out will now go to our savings fund.
Every promised contribution was greeted with loud cheers.
And don t forget to include the stake money we a