Kumble and Virat's opinions clashed in every single respect. During the team selection before the next match, Virat had put his foot down to make Jinks play instead of Yuvraj, and he also took bowling first on winning the toss, against the coach's command.

"We have just got to win this match," Rohit told Shikhar as India was going down to the field.

"Yeah, we owe it to Virat. We're following his tactics on this one, if we lose, I'm afraid Kumble will get one over him," said Shikhar.

And so they were bowling. After 30 overs, SA was 178-2. And the worst thing was--AB de Villiers was in form.

And when AB de Villiers is in form, you can't afford to let a single opportunity go.

It came in the 32nd over. The batsman lofted a ball of Bhuvi high in the air.

"LEAVE IT, IT'S MINE!" shouted Virat, who was running in from the circle. Rohit was running towards the ball, too, and he was so intent on it that he didn't register what Virat said.

Rohit and Virat underwent a head-on collision, and their elbows knocked as they both made a final attempt to grab the ball--and the catch was dropped.

Virat was in a tearing rage, not least because the RCB captain knew how dangerous AB could be.

"YOU IDIOT!" shouted Virat furiously. "I told you to stay off! Why the hell did you barge into my way?"

Virat's tone did not suit Rohit. "It was definitely my catch!" he snapped.

"No--and I called for it--can't you ever listen to instructions?"

"You did not call!" said Rohit, beginning to lose his temper too.

"I did, didn't I?" cried Virat, as Shikhar came up to them.

"Yes, but--" began Shikhar placatingly.

"Lumbering around the field with your head in the clouds--what is the use of you being in the team?" yelled Virat.

"Virat--stop it," said Jinks. The entire team was there by then.

"Couldn't bother," said Rohit, in his laziest drawl. "Couldn't bother to listen to our new captain..."

Virat lost the little self control he had left. "Send him off the field!" he shouted. "Send him off!"

Rohit was shaking with rage. "Try that--go on, try that!"

"That's enough, both of you," said Mahi bhai calmly.

Jinks restrained Virat as Shikhar dragged Rohit away, both of them swearing at the other.

____________

India lost the match, and the mood in the team as they walked back to the dressing room was even grimmer than earlier that day.

Rohit was bending and tying his shoelace near the door, and Virat happened to reach the door just then.

"Get out of the way!" he snapped.

Rohit ignored him and deliberately finished tying the shoelace before straightening up.

"We don't have all day to laze around and waste time like you, unfortunately, so will you please--" Virat was ranting in a loud voice.

Rohit glared at him and stomped out of the dressing room. Virat glared right after him before entering the room.

"God, I've never seen a pair of best friends treat each other like those two do!" Ash told Jaddu, who was packing up next to him.

Virat overhead it and turned sharply.

"What d'you mean-- best friends?" he demanded.

"Sorry, you two aren't best friends," said Jinks, rolling his eyes. "You aren't friends at all!"

"Of course we are friends. I mean, we were," corrected Virat hastily. "But Ash said 'best' friend."

Everyone present in the room stared at him blankly.

"So what's wrong with that?" Ash asked at last.

"We're not best friends, like, we never..." Virat gestured something vaguely. "We don't call each other best friends!"

Jaddu started to laugh in a loud deliberate voice, and it was getting louder and louder, and Virat said, annoyed, "What's the matter with you?"

"What? I thought you're cracking a joke," said Jaddu innocently.

"No, I wasn't--I was serious," said Virat honestly.

By now, most of his friends had smiles on their faces.

"So, you're not best friends," said Shikhar.

"Then why do you two always sit together on the bus or the plane?" asked Jinks.

"Just like that," said Virat, confused.

"Why do you always take adjacent rooms?" asked Bhuvi, hiding a smile.

"And stay awake all night sometimes and feel dreadfully tired afterwards..." added Ash.

"That doesn't make us best friends, does it?" asked Virat.

"Well, you don't do these stuff with any of us," said Jinks in exasperation.

"What about how Rohit was the only one who could deal with you when you were depressed earlier this year?" said Bhuvi.

"And what about how whenever Rohit scores a century, you go berserk in the team balcony?" said Jaddu with a snort.

Virat looked like he was deeply reflecting on their words.

"And how you guys manage to put up 200+ stands without even talking to each other," said Jinks.

"And even have an exclusive run out history just between the two of you," said Shikhar wickedly.

Realization seemed to be dawning on Virat's face slowly.

"And you two fight all the time, but make up so quickly," said Ash.

"But you're still not best friends," said Jaddu smoothly.

"No, I guess we are," said Virat, his eyes shining. "I must tell Rohit at once!"

"Oh, God, Virat," groaned Jinks. "He already knows!"

But Virat had already ran out to look for his 'best friend'.

___________

Virat found Rohit near their dugout.

"Are we best friends, Rohit?"

"No, we're not," snapped Rohit.

"Oh," said Virat, his face falling, because obviously he thought that Rohit had a problem with the prefix 'best'. "The others were telling me just now..like, we always sit together in the bus--and whenever you play well, I feel happiest and vice versa... and stuff like that...so I thought..."

Rohit stared at Virat, wondering what he was getting at.

"...so I thought we might be best friends like they said," explained Virat, in all seriousness.

"We were best friends," said Rohit, rolling his eyes.

"Were we? Do you think that way? Really?" cried Virat.

"I'm stunned you didn't think that way," said Rohit, annoyed. "I mean-- obviously we were best friends..."

Virat looked so overjoyed that Rohit felt like a jerk using the past tense.

"...we still are, I guess," admitted Rohit grudgingly.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" shouted Virat gleefully.

"God, how thick are you?" demanded Rohit.

Ignoring Rohit's exasperated look, Virat flung his arms around his 'best friend' smotheringly.

"You're my best friend, Ro," said Virat complacently. "It sounds so nice!"

Every last bit of Rohit's anger and annoyance had disappeared at Virat's ridiculously childish happiness.

"You're my best friend, too," said Rohit indulgently. "Since you didn't know."