**Day 20 – Bat & Ball High-Performance Centre**
The players wake to an unusual silence.
No sirens. No drills. Just a single note on each door:
> "Report to Strategy Hall. Alone."
One by one, they enter — not as teams, but individuals.
Inside the dome-like Strategy Hall, chairs are arranged in a circle. A projector glows. On screen:
**"Phase 2 Initiated – Individual Pathways Begin."**
Dhoni enters. Dravid follows. Silence reigns.
> Dhoni (calmly): "You've all shown us your cricket. Now we test your identity."
---
### A Twist: The Captain's Offer
Each player is handed a sealed envelope.
Inside: A personal evaluation and a shocking choice.
Dravid explains:
> "You're no longer trainees. You're potential leaders. Over the next 48 hours, each of you will be offered a captaincy of a shadow team — with one catch."
> "You'll be given a team *before* eliminations. Which means… you might lose them. Or yourself."
---
### Aryan's Dilemma
Aryan opens his envelope. His report reads:
> *"Mentally elite. Technically unique. But lacks vocal leadership."*
At the bottom: **"Captain Offer: Shadow Team A"**
Aryan looks up. Dhoni watches him.
> Dhoni (to Aryan, privately): "You don't have to speak loud to lead. But you have to carry the burden when they fall."
Aryan doesn't reply — just nods slowly.
---
### Zayaan's Fire Reignited
Zayaan's envelope hits harder.
> *"Explosive. Charismatic. But impulsive."*
**"Captain Offer: Shadow Team B"**
He smirks.
> Zayaan (to himself): "Finally… something real."
But when he reads the names of his team, his smile fades.
**Sai. Iqbal. Kunal.** Players he's clashed with emotionally.
> Zayaan: "They did this on purpose…"
---
### Sai's Conflict
Sai reads his evaluation:
> *"Stable mind. Tactical. But cracked under pressure."*
> *"Assigned to: Shadow Team B (Zayaan Captain)"*
His hands tremble.
> Sai (murmuring): "Under him? After all this?"
He looks toward Aryan, who's seated opposite, stone-faced.
---
### Omkar Declines?
In a shocking moment, Omkar refuses to open his envelope.
> Omkar (to Dhoni): "I don't need captaincy to lead."
> Dhoni (grins slightly): "That itself… is why you might be the best one."
But Omkar leaves the hall without opening the offer — shaking the others.
---
### The Divide Begins
For the first time, friendships begin to fracture.
Players are now strategists, each guarding their evaluations.
Whispers fill the dorms.
> "Who got captain?"
> "Was Aryan picked?"
> "Why is Zayaan smiling?"
> "Where's Omkar?"
---
### Evening: Private Conversations
Aryan and Yuvraj walk the outer training ring.
> Yuvraj: "You gonna take it?"
> Aryan: "Not for power. Only if it gives others purpose."
> Yuvraj: "That's why you *should* take it."
Across the field, Zayaan watches them from a balcony — fists clenched.
---
### Mentor Meeting
Inside the Mentor Room, Dhoni, Dravid, and Ganguly review the footage.
> Ganguly: "Zayaan is a spark. Aryan is a furnace."
> Dravid: "Omkar is… thunder in silence."
Dhoni nods.
> "Let them think this is about titles. The real trial is coming next week."
---
### Final Scene – Dorm Room Mirror
Zayaan stares into the mirror, trying on a captain's armband.
> Zayaan: "No more shadows. No more second place."
Camera cuts to Aryan — writing something in a small notebook.
He closes it.
> Aryan (whispers): "Captain or not… I won't change. My game leads me."
---
**Next: Chapter 22 – "Shadow Matches Begin: Clash of Temperaments"**