This was so different from his usual performances in all the series he had been playing for the last 3 years.

He had been looking forward to this comeback so much. The way the team had welcomed him back, the way Virat bhaiya seemed almost relieved that Jassi was in the team when the 3rd T20 went down to the super over, the way the nation had been openly praying for his comeback...

And he had let them all down.

Weird, the way his yorkers wouldn't work anymore.

Though they had won the series 5-0, the mood in the team was far from celebratory.

Virat bhaiya had been sitting beside the physio the whole evening as he was assessing Rohit bhaiya's injury, and now he was in full blown panic mode because the physio had declared that Rohit bhaiya was ruled out of the entire ODI and Test series.

"This is really, really bad," Virat bhaiya kept muttering all through dinner.

"Stop hyperventilating," said Rohit bhaiya, but he was subdued, too.

"Who d'you think will be called as replacement?" asked Rahul, seeming strangely fidgety.

"I guess Mayank," said Jaddu.

"Oh," said Rahul, now seeming even more uncomfortable.

Jassi wondered why he was acting like this. Sure, Rohit bhaiya's injury was worrying. But Rahul had been in out-of-the-world form recently. Not just in batting, keeping, and even captaincy in today's match. He had won them the whole series. Surely he deserved to be a little happy?

Which brought Jassi's thoughts back to his own terrible form, letting down his team, his Virat bhaiya. He wanted to talk to someone about this badly, but Virat and Rohit bhaiya had enough on their minds--and Bhuvi bhaiya wasn't here, neither was Hardik.

"We're going for a walk in the park next door," said Jaddu.

"No we're not," said Rohit and Virat together.

"You two," said Jaddu. "Are definitely coming with me."

"Yes, I agree, Jaddu bhaiya," said Yuzi, because he hated the gloomy atmosphere as well.

So Rohit and Virat agreed, and eventually most of the team decided to join them.

"Jassi?" asked Rohit.

"Too tired," said Jassi, not entirely untruthfully, and immediately tried to brighten his face a little before Rohit bhaiya, who had an uncanny ability to read his thoughts, could begin to investigate.

After the team had left, Jassi went up to his room and attempted to sleep, but at that moment, he just couldn't sleep.

The door opened and Rahul's voice came. "Jassi? You awake?"

"Yes, I am," said Jassi, switching on the light. "What happened?"

"Nothing particular," said Rahul, coming in. "I didn't feel like going either, so..."

Since Hardik wasn't travelling with them, the two of them had been thrown together a lot lately, which Jassi realised he hadn't noticed till now.

"You're not bothered about anything, are you?" Jassi found himself asking, because Rahul was clearly bothered about something.

"Well, it's kind of stupid, actually," began Rahul.

Jassi waited in silence.

"Rohit's getting ruled out, which is so awful..."

"And?"

"But Mayank--"

Jassi suddenly got Rahul's point.

"Mayank will get his ODI debut, and you're thrilled, and you think you shouldn't be happy because he's coming in in Rohit bhaiya's place," said Jassi.

"Yes, exactly," said Rahul, sounding suprised that Jassi had phrased it so accurately. "I know it's stupid, I just don't know why this matters so much."

"I don't think it's very stupid," said Jassi, considering. "I think it's mostly because you love Rohit bhaiya too."

"Yes, that's it," said Rahul. "But..." He still looked a little bothered to Jassi.

"You don't think that feeling happy for Mayank is betraying Rohit bhaiya or something, do you? 'Cause it's definitely not."

"Are you sure?" asked Rahul, before hastily added, "Of course--I mean, of course I'm not thinking anything like that."

Jassi smiled a little. "You can sit down," he told Rahul, who had actually been standing all the while.

"No, you were sleeping, I'll go," said Rahul.

"I wasn't sleeping. I was just lying awake," said Jassi, annoyed, because he didn't want Rahul to go at all.

"Ok," said Rahul doubtfully. "Why didn't you go with the others, by the way?"

"Dunno," said Jassi. "I--"

Rahul sat down, studying Jassi's expression.

"I told you what was bothering me," said Rahul slyly. "So don't you think you should tell me too?"

"Yours was a stupid reason," sighed Jassi.

"Let's hear your clever reason then," said Rahul promptly.

"I let the team down so badly this series!" said Jassi.

Rahul was genuinely surprised.

"How did you?" he asked.

"By bowling this awfully," said Jassi, annoyed.

"You didn't bowl awfully!" said Rahul. "You're judging yourself by a super over? You're returning to international cricket after months, you're... you're mad," he concluded.

As anyone would have been, Jassi looked flummoxed.

"You're not getting it," he said finally. "Maybe because you're not a bowler--"

"Really, you think that matters?" said Rahul with heavy sarcasm. "Batsmen go through bad patches just like bowlers do, and trust me, I know what it feels like when you're letting the team down."

"Well, yes, you do," said Jassi, remembering Rahul's lean phase in 2018-19.

"But you didn't play that bad, seriously. Maybe not up to your usual standards, but come on Jassi, you'll need a little time to to get back into international cricket, wouldn't you? Everyone goes through bad patches at times, even Virat!"

Rahul knew very well how much Jassi idolized Virat, and even if any of his other words didn't make Jassi feel any better, the last line straightaway did its job.

Jassi was silent for a minute.

Then he said with a grin, "We should both stop worrying."

"Definitely," said Rahul, grinning back.

"I'm sure the others are eating somewhere, don't you think we should go out too?" suggested Jassi, suddenly feeling so light that the room felt suffocating.

"Yes! There's a really great coffee shop few blocks away..." began Rahul enthusiastically.

"Oh, it can't be anything too great," dismissed Jassi. "I'll take you to--"

"I know most places of Mohali, because I play for KXIP two months every year!" said Rahul assertively. "And that coffee shop is one of the best there is!"

"You forget I've grown up in Mohali," said Jassi triumphantly.

As they were walking out, Rahul shot back, "But that was years and years ago, and you hardly stay here anymore."

"A native would always know his hometown best!"

"You're coming to my coffee shop," grumbled Rahul.

"Great, now it's your coffee shop."

"Do you think you own every place here just because you grew up here?"

"I didn't say even once I own it," defended Jassi.

"Why are we even arguing over this?" asked Rahul, suddenly starting to laugh.

"As irrelevant as most of Hardik's dialogues," said Jassi, shaking his head, but he was also laughing.

"Hardik! Yeah, this must be his influence!" said Rahul. "Let's send him a picture of the two of us," he added with evil glee.

Both of them knew Hardik well enough to know that he would burst a vein with jealousy.

They sent the same photo to Hardik at the exact same moment.

Hardik's call came on Rahul's phone almost immediately; Jassi and Rahul exchanged a grin.

He was so predictable.

"Where are you two going?" he demanded.

"To his favourite coffee shop," said Jassi.

"It's my favourite coffee shop too!" wailed Hardik. "Don't go there without me!"

"Shut up, Harry, you've never even seen it," said Rahul quenchingly.

Rahul and Jassi roared with laughter as Hardik howled some more, before finally starting to laugh himself, because secretly he was thrilled to see his best friends hitting off so well.

"When I come back, all three of us can go to a coffee shop together," said Hardik generously.

"So kind of you," said Rahul and Jassi together.

"I know!"