WICKETS AND WIDGETS

He's Your What?

I gestured frantically for the cameraman to cut me some slack, throwing up a cross sign with my hands. But instead of backing off, the audience seemed to find my struggle amusing, erupting into laughter.

"Well, it seems our young lad is not exactly thrilled about his sudden popularity, huh, Gaurav?"

"Indeed, Irfan. But he's in for a wild ride. Once the internet gets hold of this, his social media accounts are going to be flooded. Poor guy won't know what hit him!"

"Hey, let's save the stand-up routine for the after-party, shall we? Back to cricket commentary, where we actually earn our keep."

"Couldn't agree more, bhai."

As the attention finally shifted away, I breathed a sigh of relief and closed my eyes, savoring the moment of anonymity. But just as I began to relax, WHAM! Something hit my hand with surprising force. Startled, I snapped my eyes open to find a cricket ball sitting in my lap.

I glanced over at Natasha, who was wearing a mischievous grin.

"What?" I mouthed, trying to decipher her expression.

Meanwhile, in the commentary box: "And there goes another six from Kabir! But wait, who's that catching the ball in the stands? Oh, it's our mystery man from earlier! Looks like he's becoming the real star attraction tonight!"

"Seriously, can't I catch a break?" I grumbled, glaring at the cricket ball like it had personally offended me.

I pondered its value for a moment. Maybe I could sell it for a hefty sum, considering the star player had sent it flying. Was this a sign from the universe, a golden opportunity dropped into my lap?

Lost in my financial fantasies, I was brought back to reality by a gentle poke in the ribs from Natasha. I turned to her with a puzzled expression.

"Throw it back, they're waiting for you," she said, gesturing toward the impatient fielder from the defending team.

Well, there goes my get-rich-quick scheme.

With a dramatic flourish, I flung the ball back to the fielder, collapsing back into my seat with all the enthusiasm of a deflated balloon, secretly wishing for an alien invasion to save me from any more embarrassing encounters.

As I sat there, musing over my unexpected moment of fame, my phone suddenly jolted in my pocket, as if trying to join in on the chaos. I hastily fished it out, the caller ID flashing 'Riddhi' in bold letters.

With a mixture of curiosity and annoyance, I swiped the screen and pressed the phone to my ear. "What?" I blurted out, my patience already wearing thin.

From the other end of the line came Riddhi's voice, dripping with boredom, "Some luck you have, idiot."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "What do you mean?" I asked, my confusion growing with each passing moment.

"Oh, you know," she drawled, "First you're all over the big screen, and now you've got Kabir's balls landing in your lap. Things are going a little too swimmingly for you, don't you think? Share some of that luck, will ya?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her snarky comment, realizing that perhaps my luck was indeed bordering on the absurd.

"I swear, I'll pay you to yank this absurd luck out of me," I grumbled, irritation dripping from every word.

"Yeah, right. You're just bluffing," she shot back, her tone laced with sarcasm.

I bristled, taking great offense. "Nope. This is seriously messed up. I despise this kind of attention, and you know it."