Chapter 33:

The Nationals Begin.

64


New Delhi

India

Upon reaching the address he was supposed to deliver to, the delivery boy went up to the hotel reception. “Sir, I have a package addressed to Mr. Ganesh Sampath. Which room is he in?”

“Room 309. Third floor,” replied the receptionist listlessly.

The delivery boy went up the stairs with his relatively large package. He went up to room 309 and knocked the door.

“Who is it?” came a voice.

“Sir, parcel,” replied the delivery guy.

A man opened the door. “Mr. Ganesh Sampath?” asked the delivery guy.

The man nodded. “That’s me. Thanks.”

Coach Ganesh Sampath then called his team over and opened the package. He lifted out his jacket which said in big bold letters.

TEAM KARNATAKA

COACH

His chest swelled with pride as he tried it on. He loved his state and had made it his life goal to do something for his state, to serve his state. And now, he was getting an opportunity at the national stage to fulfil his dream.

The team ransacked the package furiously, scourging for their jerseys and jackets. “Hey!” yelled Ganesh. “Stop throwing things around and look for your jerseys like civilized people!”

Suddenly, the door opened and the team’s best player, and the reason they were there, Lokesh Kumar, entered the room after his exercise session. In Ganesh’s opinion, this was what made Lokesh so special. The kid worked so hard every day, twice as hard as ordinary players. He went for long runs and lengthy gym sessions. He worked on his passing and shooting almost until midnight. His work ethic was starting to rub off on the rest of the team, and soon they were putting in hours of effort as well.

When State College of Engineering, Mysore had won the state championship, it had rocked the entire state. Some people were pleased that they had won. Others argued that the win was just dumb luck and the team would suffer a crashing defeat at the national stage. But Ganesh strongly disagreed. His team put in hours of work and the face of their team, Lokesh Kumar, was a stud. Far from believing his team would be eliminated in the late stages of the tournament, Ganesh sincerely believed that his team could win it all.

“Lokesh, come here and pick up your jersey, kid. You’ll need it for today’s game,” he said.

Lokesh fished his jersey out of the box and put it away.

“Guys, listen up,” said Ganesh loudly. “I’ve just received the first round matchups of the nationals, and it isn’t good!”

His team gathered closer to listen.

“The best teams in the nationals are the states of Punjab, Delhi, and Maharashtra. These guys are some of the best players in the country!”

He paused.

“Our opponent for the first round,” he began. “Is none other than Delhi.”

*

The players entered a semi-empty arena in order to play their game. They went to their changing rooms and changed into their jerseys. They did some stretches to calm their nerves. Then, it was time to head out.

“Guys, we’ve made it this far. That means we’re a good team! And we just won the state championship. It means we deserve to be here! Now let’s go and send those Delhi boys home!” said Lokesh.

“LET’S GO KARNATAKA!” yelled the team.

“Not that they’ll have to go very far. Their home is right here! Also, they don’t have to get through that horrible traffic to get here anymore. We’re doing them a favor by beating them!” he joked.

The team laughed.

“Bangalore’s traffic is pretty bad too,” thought Ganesh, smiling.

Lokesh ran out first, followed by his teammates. They all squinted to gaze at his back and his jersey.

KUMAR

64

Instantly, they felt it. That jolt of inspiration and energy they got by looking at his back. They were just so happy to have this guy as the face of their team, and representing them. They were proud that they were on his side. His back and jersey, to them, meant the world. This guy was their leader, and would take them very, very high.

He’d impacted each and every one of them, personally.

For the entire game, this guy would have his back to them, face the opponents with them, and trust them all game.

And they couldn’t be happier about it.

Lokesh turned back and smiled.

“Let’s go beat those Delhi boys!”

Author’s Note

Hey guys! Really sorry for missing out yesterday! Exams can be a tad bit irritating and stressful, you see… :( 

The popularity poll will be up on my twitter account tomorrow (11-8-2021) at 12 PM IST (Indian Standard Time). Go cast your votes!

Cheers

~srj5