**Day 19 – Bat & Ball High-Performance Centre**
The elimination of Iqbal Nawaz still echoes through the dorms. Sai Menon, usually calm, now struggles with self-doubt.
And today, things are about to get worse.
Because the next challenge… breaks routine.
---
**BCCI Morning Notification: "24-Hour Role Reversal"**
Text Message to All Players:
> "You are NOT yourself today.
> Batters will bowl.
> Bowlers must bat.
> Spin must bowl pace.
> Pace must bowl spin."
No comfort zone.
No safety nets.
Dhoni's voice echoes in the announcement room:
> "Legends are born when nothing makes sense — and you still adapt."
---
**Chaos Begins – The Reversal Trials**
Players fumble.
Aryan tries his hand at bowling — medium pace, controlled.
> Omkar (watching): "He reads rhythms even while bowling. This guy's just… tuned in."
Zayaan's turn: asked to bowl off-spin.
He laughs.
> "Yeh toh bachpan ka kaam hai."
He turns his arm — wide, ugly spin. Gets smashed for three boundaries.
He walks away, gritting his teeth.
---
**Omkar – The Calm Storm**
Omkar, a spinner, is told to bowl medium pace.
Everyone watches.
First ball: yorker. Next: slower ball. Third: off-cutter.
> Sai (to Aryan): "He has no comfort zone. Only control."
Even mentors nod.
Dhoni (to Dravid): "He's a captain without words."
---
**Sai Menon Breaks**
Sai, who was consistent until now, is forced to bowl left-arm medium pace.
First over: 4 wides, 1 no-ball, hit for six.
He slams the ball down, walks away, refuses to talk.
In the locker room, he punches the bench.
> Sai (to himself): "One more bad day… and I'm next."
---
**Unexpected Spark: Tarun Dev**
Tarun, overlooked for weeks, is told to bowl off-spin.
He stuns everyone — two wickets, including Zayaan.
> Dhoni (smiling): "Some fire needs chaos to light up."
Tarun makes it to the "Top 5 Upset List" of the day.
---
**Coach Rankings After Role Reversal**
📊 Top 5 Adaptive Players:
1. Omkar Shinde – "Multi-skill Consistency"
2. Aryan Raj – "Reads Everything"
3. Tarun Dev – "Surprise Uprising"
4. Rajveer Goyal – "Silent Resilience"
5. Zayaan Sheikh – "Raw Talent, Poor Control"
Bottom 3:
- Sai Menon
- Ravi Prakash
- Kunal Sehrawat
---
**Late Evening – Training Nets**
Aryan finds Sai sitting alone, pads beside him untouched.
> Aryan: "You're one of the most stable guys here. What's wrong?"
> Sai: "I thought I was. Until today. This program… exposes what even I didn't know."
> Aryan (hand on his shoulder): "Then maybe now you'll learn what you *can* be."
---
**Meanwhile – Zayaan's Rebellion Brews**
In the gym, Zayaan trains alone.
Punches the heavy bag. Writes notes on a whiteboard.
Camera zooms in:
> "Control. Patience. Precision. Aryan's way."
Voiceover:
> "The rage is not gone. It's just learning… how to aim."
---
**Mentor Room – Dhoni's Closing Note**
> "This isn't about skills anymore.
>
> This is now a war of internal mastery."
Dravid nods.
> "Let's shake them next.
>
> Not with eliminations…
>
> But with temptations."
---
**Next: Chapter 21 – The Captain's Offer**