Section 8 A Wholesome New Challenge

Some of the local lads had also joined by then. One of them picked up the wickets. Suraj only showed a bit surprise. There was a single row of trees some ten yards behind the batsman's wickets, stamps were planted behind them. Now the pitch was perpendicular to the previous.

"What, the pitch has changed?"

"Yes", Avinash laughed.

"Where is six?", the old question.

"There", Avinash signaled the previous coconut tree twins, his face a bit crooked.

Suraj went to the end of the tree-row, which ended two yards behind the new wickets, and again, as before, observed the tree-twins. He went on looking at them. Four minutes. Or more. He came back and took stance.

Some blocks. Then came a ball, short-pitched, no-ish. It should have gone way behind his back. Suraj turned and hit the ball, his firm belief was the ball crossed the tree-row, went through air, and fell on the gap, again. He was as sure as God. Probably there was no difference between the two identities.

Several balls went that way, punctuated by some leaving and blocking.

"Where is he hitting?" asked Avinash, the most curious, amazed by his batting.

They stood with a questioning face.

"They are going for six." Suraj was never this much calm.

Avinash sent Dipak to stand at the junction, where the tree-row ended, so that he can watch both sides and signal if it was a six or not. Dipak, a perfect face, perfect spectacles, perfect body-proportions, perfect shirt, perfect pants and shoes albeit small in stature, stood there.

Yes! They were going for six. Frequent hits, and frequent signals on the part of Dipak like an umpire, raising his two hands.