Mahi was sitting in his hotel room, enjoying (or maybe not that much) the rare peace and quiet.

No, it was not like Virat and Rohit weren't in the team. It's just that they'd gone for their first management meeting together.

Cheeku, to be officially declared India's limited overs captain, and Ro, to be given his first national leadership role.

They had come to tell him goodbye before they left; Mahi had sent them away, unworried, quite a different scenario from the time Virat went for his first management meeting. Mahi had cornered him the previous night and drilled him for five and a half hours, he recalled, about how to conduct himself. Virat had adhered to them pretty well, and today, he did not have to worry about him anymore, he was well practised.

Yes, it was Rohit's first meeting today, but he wasn't worried. Ro, unlike Cheeku, knew how to conduct himself in the required situations.

He knew everything would be all right...but he still found himself glancing at the clock every so often, waiting for the moment when his two kids (disguised as two grown up men of 29 and 30) would come back, settle themselves on either sides of him and tell him all about their first meeting together.

__________________________________________

The head of BCCI was currently sprouting a long speech about 'new era', 'revolutionizing Indian cricket', 'leaving behind all bad memories'....and Virat was currently trying not to yawn, and not to let his face display too blatantly how zoned out he was.

He glanced sideways at his 'vice-captain'. Th idea of how everyone would tease Ro about being the new vice-captain helped him while away a few moments.

Look at how attentively Rohit was listening.

HA!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Wait till he'd attended a dozen of these meetings, then he'd see...

Rohit's low voice cut into his thoughts abruptly.

"So," he said. "You're saying our former captain was involved in things like match fixing?"

Virat's jaw dropped.

"Chennai Super Kings..." began the official.

"CHENNAI SUPER KINGS IS A FRANCHISE CONTROLLED BY ITS OWN MANAGEMENT!" shouted Rohit, looking insane. "MAHI BHAI WAS SIMPLY THE CAPTAIN WHO STEERED CLEAR OF THE MANAGEMENT!"

Every single person on the other side of the table stared at him in clear horror. Virat decided to intervene before Rohit landed himself into severe trouble on the very first day.

"Ro...er...Rohit," said Virat in a calm voice. "You must have misunderstood them..."

Rohit turned to face him and said fiercely, "I damn right have not!"

Oh no, thought Virat, who was terrified by now. How am I supposed to deal with this idiot? He has gone completely mad!

"Sir," Virat forced himself to say to the chief. "Can I have a word with him outside please?"

He dragged Rohit outside; much to his relief Rohit did not struggle physically.

"Rohit," he whispered urgently. "What are you think you're doing?"

"They said--they hinted--" spluttered Rohit, so furious that he could hardly get out the words. "They hinted that Mahi bhai attempted to bring in a culture of match fixing into our team!"

"They often say things like that," said Virat, wondering why Rohit was getting so worked up. The chief selector of BCCI is always supposed to be a git...isn't that accepted in the whole country?

"They--always--and how come you're not saying anything?" demanded Rohit.

"Cause you can't contradict them 'til they're trying to take a decision that'll harm us," explained Virat earnestly. "So long as they're only speaking, it's ok."

"This was not ok," said Rohit obstinately, though Virat could see that he had begun to calm down a little.

"Yeah, but telling them is not going to make any difference," said Virat. "Stop being angry. And don't shout when we go back inside. In fact don't speak at all...I'll manage it. Ok?"

Rohit looked at him with grudging respect. "Ok."

Virat strode inside the room again, sighing internally as he realized that he'll actually have to listen to the speech if he had to manage the conversation and keep Rohit out of it.

_________________________________________

It was definitely time for them to be returning, thought Mahi, jerking awake from his nap, and sure enough, his door opened within a few minutes.

"Cheeku," he welcomed with a smile. "How'd it go?"

Then he noticed that Virat looked a little hassled...and where was Rohit?

"Where's Ro?"

"He's in an awful rage, Mahi bhai. He went straight upstairs to his room and wouldn't come down," said Virat.

"Why is he in a rage? Did something happen?" asked Mahi, frowning. It was not like Rohit to be in an 'awful rage', not unless...

"Have you two fought?" he asked severely, but even as he asked it, he knew it couldn't be, because otherwise Cheeku would have been complaining to him.

Virat shook his head and told him what had happened in few words.

"He yelled at the chief?"

"Yes."

"You took him outside to calm him down?"

"Yes."

Mahi could hardly be blamed for fearing that the world was coming to an end. Then he began to realize that he should have had the drilling session with Ro as well. Clearly he was not as mature as he'd thought he was.

______________________________________

Rohit's angry daze was broken with his door opening and Mahi bhai striding in.

"Hello," said Rohit darkly.

"Yes, hello," said Mahi bhai, equally darkly.

Rohit looked up, a little surprised at the tone.

"I hear you have misbehaved yourself shamelessly today at the meeting," said Mahi bhai, sitting down beside him.

Rohit did not know whether he was scowling or glaring.

"Don't make that face now," said Mahi bhai severely, which of course made Rohit scowl harder.

"Virat has not told you the entire thing," said Rohit.

"Actually, he has," said Mahi bhai.

"Then how can you say I misbehaved?" asked Rohit, genuinely amazed.

"Becuase you did," said Mahi bhai simply. "No matter what the provocation is, you can't go yelling at the board. Which reminds me--sit up straight."

Rohit did not understand what Mahi bhai's point was, but since he was sort of hardwired to obey Mahi bhai without second thoughts, he sat up.

"I'm going to tell you a few things and you get them inside your head right now. I am not going to repeat them. Ok?"

"Er..."

"You do not interrupt when a board member is speaking. You do not contradict them before planning out a good and complete line of defense. You do not lose your temper inside that room. And you certainly do not shout at any member of the board..."

Rohit's scowl deepened and deepened as Mahi bhai proceeded with his rules. Why was Mahi bhai behaving like he was a kid who had acted stupid? A kid like...like..Cheeku?

"Are you joking?" he asked, just to be on the safe side.

Mahi bhai gave him such a look that he fell silent, abashed.

"Repeat what I said," said Mahi bhai.

"But Mahi bhai..."

"Who's been captain for a decade in this room, Ro?"

"You, but--"

"Who's the elder person in this room?"

"You--but listen..."

"Repeat the rules quickly and promise me you'll follow them."

Rohit stared at his knees, his cheeks burning, and painstakingly repeated them.

"But Mahi bhai they insulted you," finished Rohit quickly, before Mahi bhai could start scolding him again.

"They're insignificant outsiders, would you deny that?" asked Mahi bhai, now reaching forward to grab Rohit in a hug.

"No...I wouldn't," said Rohit thoughtfully, finally relaxing with Mahi bhai's arms around him.

"They're useless strangers...just ignore what they say, don't take them to heart. Just becuase they say something bad about us doesn't make it true, does it?" said Mahi bhai, going into I-need-to-lecture-my-son-about-the-ways-of-the-world mode. "And it's shocking that Cheeku had to calm you down!" he added, shaking his head.

Rohit laughed and they sat in silence for a while.

"You still haven't promised--" began Mahi bhai.

"I promise to keep all your rules, I promise!" cried Rohit. "Now stop being like this."

Mahi bhai laughed and pulled his Ro just a little closer.