Ball 73.No bowler appeared.
Just silence.
Then the pitch floor flickered — red grid lights, erratic wind, blinding overheads.
An error?
No.
The final stage of the test.Sudden stimulus overload.The delivery came mid-transition.
Barely visible.
Raj's bat moved like a memory — not reaction, not instinct, but something deeper.
Impact point perfect.
Result: safe.
The system voice returned. Lower now.
"Thread Response Achieved."
By ball 80, the chamber's oxygen dipped slightly.Simulated fatigue protocol.Raj's knees trembled — not from exhaustion, but from controlled resilience.
His swing didn't break.Didn't flare.Just continued.
Ball 82 — flick to third.
Ball 83 — dot.
Ball 84 — late cut behind square.
Ball 85 — a leave. Beautiful, confident.
The trial wasn't testing talent anymore.
It was testing who you are when the body starts forgetting but the will keeps stitching.
Then came Ball 89.Penultimate.A yorker.
No seam rotation.
