**Day 26 โ Bat & Ball High-Performance Centre**
Dawn breaks heavy over the Iron Dome. A gray sky above. A lineup of players below โ each heart thudding like a drum.
No training today. No drills. Just one announcement.
> ๐ข "The following 22 players have been selected to enter the National Development Pool."
A massive screen flashes one name at a time โ in complete silence.
---
### โ The 22 Chosen (Alphabetical Order)
- Aryan Raj
- Omkar Shinde
- Sai Menon
- Yuvraj Rathore
- Rajveer Goyal
- Iqbal Nawaz
- Tarun Jindal
- Mihir Desai
- Abid Rehman
- Nikhil Sharma
- Krunal Bhatt
- Rohitveer Rawat
- Laksh Gade
- Vedanth Iyer
- Rishab Bhatia
- Zayaan Sheikh
- Tanishq Mehra
- Aadi Rajput
- Parth Kohli
- Arhaan Srivastava
- Yusuf Nayeem
- Deepak Bhagat
Each name hits like a heartbeat. Some breathe. Some break.
---
### โ The 22 Sent Home
The others watch the screen stopโฆ without their names.
Tears are held back. Some collapse to the ground. Some hug. Some scream.
> Dhoni (to the eliminated):
"You weren't rejected. You were revealed.
You have skill.
You just need time.
Go. Grow. Return."
BCCI officers hand each eliminated player a sealed feedback file. A roadmap for comeback.
---
### ๐ธ Media Reaction
ESPN: "Top 22 โ A New Era of Indian Talent Begins"
Cricbuzz: "Zayaan Makes It, Barely. Omkar Shines Again."
TOI: "Aryan Raj, The Calm Revolution, Secures Spot #1."
Social media explodes. Hashtags trend:
**#BatAndBall22**, **#NextGenCricket**, **#AryanRising**
---
### ๐Inside the Dome โ Emotional Fallout
Zayaan sits alone, silent. He made it โ but barely.
Omkar walks over.
> Omkar: "You still play like you're proving something."
> Zayaan (bitter): "And you don't?"
> Omkar: "I just play."
They don't shake handsโฆ but they don't fight either.
---
Yuvraj hugs Aryan roughly.
> Yuvraj: "We did it. Man, we actuallyโ"
> Aryan (quiet): "It's not over. We've just entered a different war."
---
### ๐ง Dhoni's Final Address
> "You've survived the storm. But the real game now begins.
We train you for the world stage.
New coaches. New pressure.
And soonโฆ
you'll face each other in a real match.
Not a trial. A *televised league.*"
The 22 stare in stunned silence.
> "You're not in a program anymore.
You're in the race for India's future."
---
### ๐ Final Shot
Aryan looks up at the stadium lights, breathing slowly.
His flashback โ that childhood evening when he watched Kohli walk off for the last time.
> Aryan (to himself): "Now it's our turn. Let's not waste it."
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๐ฅ **Next: Chapter 26 โ National Pool Begins: Training Under Fire**