(AI translated version of  अशोक : द क्रिकेटर)

Sangeeta give me one more chance! True, believe me. From now on I will pay full attention to cricket. I will play for the country only and see that our team will bring the Asia Cup to the final to be held after a month! Ashok Ratanwala, captain of the Indian Lion cricket team in Allahabad’s Chinar Park, was speaking in a pleading voice on his mobile phone early in the morning, hiding his face.

He was trying to control the winds blowing on his face. His sometimes fast and sometimes slow pace seemed to indicate that he was extremely stressed. There was trembling in his voice and trembling in his legs.

And it was natural for him to be so upset because this news was the lead story in today’s paper Dainik Mayajal –

Ha! Ashoka!

Allahabad. Indian Lion cricket team captain Ashok Ratanwala has embarrassed the country. It has been revealed from reliable sources that a video of him has surfaced in which he is seen bargaining with the Pakistan Tigers cricket team to lose the final match. It is said that this deal was going to be done for Rs 50 lakh. But Ashok’s plans were ruined when the video got leaked before the deal could be completed. Our correspondent tried to talk to him but he was not available. The Indian Lion Cricket Board has now formed a committee to investigate this matter. The whole truth will be revealed only after the investigation is completed.

Ashok was made the captain of the Indian Lion cricket team only six months ago. His game was excellent. Before this, he had played about 14 ODI matches in different states in six months, and out of these, he won the hearts of cricket lovers by scoring a century in 11 matches, half-century in two matches, and 121 runs in one match. When he was at the crease, his batting style was very interesting.

Sangeeta was also among his followers who were increasing day by day and she did not miss any of his matches. Whenever she got a chance to watch Ashok’s game, sometimes on TV and sometimes in the stadium, Sangeeta used to sit with all her heart. Gradually, he did not realize when his love for cricket transformed into his love for Ashok.

After this, Sangeeta was always trying to talk to Ashok, calling him and sending him messages by e-mail. Ashok found all this very uncomfortable in the beginning, but when something started happening again and again, people started accepting it easily. The same thing happened with Ashok too and we didn’t even know when he fell in love with Sangeeta.

Then what was left? The topic of conversation between Ashok and Sangeeta became heart-to-heart matches instead of match-watch. Both of them started looking for time to meet each other.

This romance deepened as time passed. Sangeeta also started demanding from Ashok, sometimes expensive gifts and sometimes beautiful dresses. Stories of their romance started finding a place in newspapers and media.

The family members of Ashok and Sangeeta also started thinking that before this matter goes beyond limits, why not get them married? But who can avoid it?

As soon as the news of their marriage spread, this ill-fated video went viral in which Ashok was seen making a deal worth lakhs of rupees with the captain of the Pakistani team in exchange for losing the match.

It was true that after getting the captaincy, Ashok had become obsessed with earning money. He also felt that the more money he earns in a short period of time, the more Sangeeta will be impressed and then when both of them get married, they will be able to spend the rest of their lives comfortably because of the huge amount of money. Therefore, he became addicted to earning money by taking advantage of his position.

He started taking less interest in cricket and more in earning money. His time which should have been spent on improving and practicing his game started going towards modelling, finding ways to be in the limelight, and taking money to inaugurate showrooms, etc.

The result was that Shatkaveer now became Shunyaveer and in most of the matches he would get out on zero within a minute or two of reaching the crease. In order to make headlines, in a match, as soon as the ball came, he threw his bat in the air in such a way that if the fielder of the other team was not alert, his skull would have been crushed in the field itself.

The audience was surprised at his action. The commentator was stunned. Later, although he had expressed his embarrassment over his actions in front of the media, he was smiling in his mind thinking about the headlines he would get after the match.

Due to his mental state, the balance between his tongue and facial expressions had faltered. Along with the media, the cricket board also started feeling that there was something dark in the pulses but due to lack of concrete evidence, Ashok was clearly saved.

On the other hand, Sangeeta became extremely stressed after Ashok’s shocking video surfaced. At first, he couldn’t believe this news but when it started spreading all around, he got a big shock and he called Ashok early in the morning when he was five kilometers away from the city, taking advantage of the darkness before sunrise. Somehow, he had somehow reached Chinar Park from a deserted place, hiding his face.

Then he feared that as the days progressed and people started coming here, someone would recognize him. Thinking all this, he sat in his car and left for Dehradun in the same condition he was in. After talking to Sangeeta he switched off his mobile phone.

In Dehradun, he set up his residence in an inn away from the noise of the city changed his appearance, and started living there.

On the other hand, with the video going viral, Sangeeta felt that all her dreams had come crashing down. All the gifts he received from Ashok seemed as if he was rushing to eat them. The 4-foot-tall teddy bear that he had received as a gift from Ashok on his last birthday looked as if its ten-foot-long teeth had come out and were about to penetrate her body. When she opened her wardrobe, seeing the dress given by Ashok, it seemed as if big thorns had come out of it.

In anger, he threw these gifts on the floor. Seeing her angry face, father Rajat Sridhar understood that his daughter was under extreme stress and he was unable to tolerate that Ashok was involved in betting.

Hearing his daughter’s painful sobs, he immediately came to her room caressed her head, and said – My chid! Don’t cry. This news is not confirmed yet. Now the matter will be investigated and only then will it be known what the truth is. Don’t be so sad and depressed, son! You know how sad my heart becomes when I see you sad.

Sangeeta felt a little relieved by what her father said in an admonishing manner. She wiped her eyes and said – God forbid this news turns out to be false, but the matter is hot right now. Whom did I choose to make my life partner? How can one who cannot belong to his own country become mine? My life has been ruined.

Sridhar –Sangi ! Don’t think so much! Sometimes humans make mistakes. However, I believe that it was a big mistake that Ashok tried to make a deal with the Pakistan captain. But that deal was not completed, right? Neither match took place. No one wins and no one loses! Then the entire truth will come out through investigation. You should neither be sad nor disappointed! Media people keep spreading anything about anyone so that their circulation increases.

While this exchange of thoughts was going on between father and daughter, Sangeeta’s mother left the kitchen work and came into the room. She said – Daughter! It is known that Ashok has the blood of retired Indian Army Colonel Shamsher Kushwaha in his veins. In such a situation, I am sure that Ashok cannot do such a thing. It is true that his game is not going well these days but I think he is mentally disturbed and under deep pressure. If God forbid this crisis goes away soon and milk becomes water, then I will offer a full amount of five hundred rupees to Vindhyavasini Devi.

 to be contd… 

(fictional story)​