62.

                                    

                                          
The semifinals had to be a thriller. 
The match went till the last second ball and ended with a result which made the Indians happy. 
It was a tough match and somehow Karan managed to pull the results on their side by staying not out till the end . 
"Aaj bharat ki jeet ka ek hi kaaran hai, aur voh Karan hai." The hindi commentators said. 
The entire country was happy. Their beloved team was not just one step away from the world cup. 
From one of those countrymen , a girl from Mumbai in her house was screaming her lungs out of happiness and at the same time releasing the stress she felt while watching the match. 
She barely sat on the couch and was just jumping around the entire house.
 
"Did Karan hit a century? You look so happy Teju." Niti asked smiling.
 She was not a cricket enthusiast but kept herself updated with Karan's stats as Teja's mood used to depend on it to a certain extent.
"We are in the finals bhabhi" Teja said excitedly, now dancing to the imaginary tunes she played in her head.
On the other side of the globe, in Australia the stadium was bursting with happiness. 
Karan raised his bat after hitting the winning runs. The team ran towards him . Some patted his back  while some took him in a bone crushing hug. 
The job was not yet done, everyone knew . But that didn't make this win any less special. 
While walking towards the pavilion, when Karan finnally absorbed the intensity of the environment and the importance of the match , his hand automatically went towards Teja's right which he always wore. 
He held the ring tight for a few seconds , heart filled with gratitude for having her in his life.
She was his strength, he knew.
He then kissed his hand and kept walking towards the dressing room. 
After reaching the dressing room he called his parents who as always were proud of their son's success. 
"You played well." His father said, eyes shining with pride. 
"Yes , and we are so proud of you." His mother added , equally happy.
"Now eat something, and relax. We will call you later okay, bye."
"Bye mom . Bye dad. Take care." Karan said and ended the call.
He then called Teja who picked up his call on the first ring itself. 
"You were just waiting for me to call I guess." Karan said with a chuckle.
"I was . And congratulations." She said blissfully. "That was such a stressful match. How do you guys manage to play under so much pressure."
"Just the way you do those complicated surgeries."
"Okay , understood." She said rolling her eyes.
"Thank you." Karan said soon after.
Teja furrowed her eyebrows seeing the suddenness of his words and asked, "For what?"
"For being there by my side."
"Isn't that what I am supposed to do as your girlfriend. And it's not like I'm doing it for free."
Karan frowned, not understanding what Teja meant.
"I mean that in return I also get a caring, respectful, loyal and a really handsome man as my boyfriend. So I'm clearly at profit. "
They both smiled.
"I hope that you remain profitable forever." Karan said.
.
.
.
The social media gave an amazing response to the win as well. 
Also a small section of people got curious after seeing the ring around Karan's neck. 
The speculations of Karan dating someone stared on the day he posted the story where he denied his link up with Riya. 
" 'Maybe I am not single', 
is it what I think it is " . Someone tweeted.
"I will concentrate on ' maybe ' and stay positive." A fan girl commented.
Their doubt increased after seeing a mysterious girl wishing Karan on his birthday as shown in an edit posted by BCCI.
"Who is that girl ? Never seen her before."
"Definitely his girlfriend."
"Can be his friend too."
"She is a doctor. Dr Tejasswi Prakash. My mom goes to her for treatment. "
"Her insta account is private."
"Dude, Karan,Ruturaj and Sayli follow her. She is definitely his girlfriend."
This investigation by the fans got more attention as the clip of Karan holding the ring after the match went viral. 
Though, the fans could not find more about her as Teja was a really private person.
But all of these speculations died out soon as they approached the finals and the fans shifted their focus to it.
The Final was between India and South Africa. 
With batting first, team India struggled to jit the ball. After a lot of efforts and losing eight wickets in the process, they scored a total of 157 runs. 
It was not an easy total to defend . 
The bowlers tried their best and took two wickets in the powerplay itself. But after that nothing worked for them. 
India lost the final by 8 wickets. 
The fireworks started. The other team started celebrating while the Indian team stood their disappointed. 
It was a tough night for the team along with those billions of Indians who were rooting for them.
With a heavy heart the team went to the dressing room. They all sat in silence for the first few minutes followed by the coach and the captain saying last few words before they go back home to India.
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