Boundaries Of The Heart ??

The world of cricket rarely leaves room for silence. Every match, every selection, every word spoken or unsaid becomes news. And when the cricketing universe shook with the announcement of Shubman Gill as India's new Test captain, silence was the last thing that followed.

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Vanya was still in her room in Delhi when her phone began to buzz uncontrollably. She groaned, half buried in her blanket, thinking it was just the girls' group spamming memes again. But when she finally glanced at her notifications, her heart skipped.

"Rohit Sharma retires from Test cricket. Shubman Gill named successor."

Her sleep vanished in an instant. She sat up, eyes wide, scanning through articles. Some hailed it as the dawn of a new era. Others mocked the decision. And as she scrolled through endless tweets, her chest tightened.

He must be reading all this. He must be hearing it everywhere.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her phone vibrating again. This time, not news alerts. Not Twitter.

Incoming call: Shubman.

Her breath caught. She quickly swiped to answer.

"Hello?"

There was a pause on the other side. Then came his voice, low and tired. "Did I wake you up?"

She smiled faintly, trying to steady her own heart. "No. I was... already awake."

"Hmm." He exhaled. "So you've seen it."

"Yeah," she whispered. "And, Shubman... congratulations. It's huge."

He gave a dry chuckle, though it didn't reach his tone. "Huge, yes. Also terrifying."

Vanya leaned back against her pillow. "Why terrifying? You've been groomed for this. Everyone knew you'd captain India one day."

"That's not what Twitter thinks," he muttered. "They're saying I'm too young, not ready. That I'll ruin the team. Every channel, every headline... I've been trying not to look at my phone, but it's everywhere. Feels like I'm carrying the whole country on my shoulders already."

Her heart ached hearing that vulnerability in his voice. "Shubman," she said firmly. "Do you remember your debut? People said you weren't ready then too. And what did you do? You walked out at the Hamilton and made history. You've proved people wrong before, and you'll do it again. You know why?"

"Why?" His voice was quieter now, almost like a child seeking comfort.

"Because you've earned this. Not by luck, not by favoritism. By sheer hard work. If BCCI trusted you, there's a reason. And I-" she hesitated, her voice softening, "I trust you too."

The line went silent for a few seconds. Then, softer than she'd ever heard him: "You don't know how much I needed to hear that right now."

She smiled, her chest tightening. "Good. And get used to it. From now on, I'll remind you whenever you forget."

That earned a real laugh from him, low but genuine. "Careful, Vanya. You're starting to sound like my personal coach."

"Better than your personal troll, right?"

He chuckled again. "Okay, fair. You win."

She grinned into the phone, though he couldn't see it. "I always do."

For a moment, neither spoke. Just their quiet breaths across the line. Then he said softly, "You're the first person I called. Don't even know why."

Her throat tightened. "I'm glad you did."