The BCCI granted the Indian squad a six-day rest period following the victory over Bangladesh. The four-match Test series against Australia was scheduled to begin in late February.
The players went home to recover.
Siddanth traveled directly from the stadium to the Shamshabad estate. For the first two days, he completely relaxed. He spent time with Krithika, ate regular home-cooked meals with his parents, and stayed away from cricket completely.
On the morning of the third day, it was time to handle his business outside of cricket.
Siddanth woke up, had breakfast with his family, and got into his Range Rover. He did not ask his driver to take him. He took the wheel himself.
He drove out of the estate gates and merged onto the highway. The morning traffic heading into the city was heavy, filled with buses and office commuters. Siddanth drove patiently, listening to the radio, blending in with the regular morning rush.
He took the exit for HITEC City. The tall, glass-fronted buildings of the IT sector came into view.
He drove up to the main gates of the towering NEXUS headquarters. The security guards recognized his car immediately. They opened the gates and saluted as he drove down into the private underground parking garage.
Siddanth parked his car, took the private elevator, and went straight up to the top floor.
He walked out into the wide, quiet hallway and pushed open the heavy glass doors to the CEO's office.
Arjun Reddy was sitting behind his large wooden desk. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and a very tired, but very happy, smile on his face. The desk was covered in thick stacks of paper folders.
"You look like you haven't slept in a week," Siddanth said, walking in and sitting down on the comfortable guest chair across from the desk.
"I haven't," Arjun laughed, taking a sip of his coffee. "But it was worth it. We are officially done, Sid."
Siddanth leaned back in his chair. "All of them?"
"All of them," Arjun confirmed, tapping the massive stack of folders on his desk. "I have been working on acquiring these companies for the last three months. The negotiations were long, the paperwork was endless, and dealing with their past debts was a headache. But I finalized the last signature yesterday afternoon."
"Micromax, Intex, LML, and Hindustan Motors," Siddanth listed the main targets.
"And the solar companies," Arjun added. "They are all officially under the NEXUS now."
Siddanth nodded. "Good work. What is the next step for the factories? We need to get them running."
"I am not rushing anything," Arjun stated practically. "We own the buildings, but right now, they are just empty sheds or filled with old, broken machines. I can't start manufacturing bikes or phones from an office in Hyderabad. I need to see the floors."
"When are you going?" Siddanth asked.
"I am flying out next week," Arjun explained his travel plans. "I am going to take a small team of our engineers. We are going to visit the LML plant in Kanpur first, and then the Hindustan Motors plant in West Bengal. We need to check the factory floors, measure the space, and figure out where the new assembly lines will go. We will clear the old junk out and then start planning the new layout."
"When you plan the layout," Siddanth brought up a crucial point, "do not just plan for machines."
Arjun looked at him, slightly confused. "What do you mean? You said we are bringing in automated assembly lines."
"We are bringing in machines for the heavy lifting, the welding, and the precision parts," Siddanth clarified. "But we are not firing all the workers. Keep the local labor force."
"Keep them?" Arjun raised an eyebrow. "I thought the point of the new factories was to use our own technology."
"It is," Siddanth said calmly. "But a factory still needs people, Arjun. We need local labor for the final assembly checks, for painting, for moving the parts around the warehouse, and for loading the transport trucks. These companies employed thousands of local people. If we buy the factories and fire everyone, it creates bad news in the local towns. We keep the local workers, we train them to use our new systems, and we pay them well. It keeps the factories running smoothly."
Arjun thought about it and nodded. "That makes sense. It builds good relationships with the local towns. I will tell the HR team to start contacting the old factory workers and offer them new contracts."
"What about the cars?" Siddanth asked. "Did you show the marketing team the designs for the new electric car?"
"I did," Arjun smiled. "They loved the look of it. But we had a long debate about the name."
"I told you to keep the legacy name," Siddanth reminded him.
"I know," Arjun said. "The marketing team wanted to call it something flashy. But I told them your idea. We are building it in the old Hindustan Motors factory. So, we are going to respect the history. We are calling it the Ambassador EV."
"It is a good name," Siddanth agreed. "Everyone in India knows what an Ambassador is. It feels familiar, even if the car looks completely new."
"Exactly," Arjun said, closing the folders on his desk. "So, the factories are secured. The naming is done. Now I just have to travel across the country for a month to inspect empty warehouses. What are you doing with your rest days?"
"Going home," Siddanth said simply, standing up from his chair. "Spending time with Krithika. And then I have to go to Pune for the training camp."
"Try to actually rest," Arjun told him. "You have a four-match series coming up against Australia. They play hard."
"I know," Siddanth said, walking toward the office door. "Call me after you visit the Kanpur factory. Let me know how the space looks."
"Will do," Arjun promised, picking up his coffee cup again.
Siddanth left the NEXUS building and drove back to Shamshabad.
For the remaining three days of his break, he stayed at home.
He ate lunch with his parents and his wife. In the evenings, Siddanth and Krithika would walked around the large gardens of the estate. There were no cameras, no crowds, and no pressure. It was just normal, everyday life.
When the rest period ended, Siddanth packed his cricket bag. He said goodbye to his family and took a flight to Pune.
The Indian team was gathering at the stadium in Pune for a training camp before the first Test match against Australia.
Siddanth arrived at the stadium and walked down the hallway to the dressing room. He carried his heavy bag inside.
The room was quiet. Some players were sitting on the benches, drinking water or taping their bats.
Anil Kumble, the head coach, was standing near the whiteboard. He was talking to the assistant coach.
Siddanth walked into the room. He walked right past Kumble to get to his locker.
Kumble looked up, saw Siddanth, and immediately looked back down at his notepad. He did not say hello. He did not nod. He completely ignored the captain of the team.
Ever since their argument during the Bangladesh match about forcing the follow-on, Kumble had refused to speak to him directly.
Siddanth didn't mind. He dropped his bag on the floor, unzipped it, and pulled out his training shoes. He sat on the bench and started tying his laces. He couldn't care less about the silent treatment. He was here to prepare for a cricket match, not to make friends with the coach.
Virat Kohli walked over. He was carrying his batting pads. He sat down on the bench next to Siddanth.
"Still not talking?" Kohli asked quietly, glancing over at Kumble.
"No," Siddanth answered, finishing his laces. "It doesn't matter. The training schedule is on the board. We just follow the schedule."
"It's annoying," Kohli muttered. "He tells the assistant coach to tell me things, even when I am standing right next to him."
"Just ignore it," Siddanth advised him. "Focus on the practice. Australia has a very good fast bowling attack. They are going to test you."
"I am ready," Kohli said, picking up his bat. "Are you bowling to me in the nets today?"
"Yes," Siddanth said, standing up and grabbing his water bottle.
They walked out of the dressing room together and headed out to the practice field. The sun was shining brightly over the stadium. The ground staff had prepared the practice pitches perfectly.
Siddanth walked to the fast-bowling net. He put his water bottle down on the grass. He started his warm-up. He stretched his back, his shoulders, and his legs. He took his time, making sure his body was completely loose.
Virat Kohli walked into the net. He strapped on his leg pads, put on his gloves, and secured his helmet. He stood in front of the stumps, tapped his bat on the ground, and looked out at Siddanth.
Siddanth picked up a red cricket ball from the bucket.
He knew exactly what he wanted to work on today. He wanted to practice his swing bowling. More importantly, he wanted to test Kohli.
Kohli was a great batsman, but he had a habit that fast bowlers loved to exploit. When a ball was bowled just outside his off-stump, Kohli always wanted to hit it. He loved to step forward and drive the ball through the covers. If the ball swung away from him at the last second, he would end up hitting it with the edge of his bat, sending a catch straight to the wicketkeeper or the slip fielders.
Siddanth wanted to bowl in that exact spot, over and over again, to see if Kohli had fixed his weakness.
Siddanth stood at his mark. He held the ball in his hand, keeping his fingers firmly on the seam. He aimed for a spot on the pitch just outside Kohli's off-stump.
He ran in. He didn't run too fast. He just found a smooth rhythm.
He brought his arm over and bowled the ball.
The ball landed on a good length, just outside the off-stump. As it bounced, it swung slightly away from the batsman.
Kohli leaned forward and pushed his bat out, trying to defend it. The ball went past the outside edge of his bat by a few inches and hit the net behind him.
"Good start," Kohli called out, stepping back to adjust his stance.
Siddanth walked back to his mark. He picked up another ball.
He ran in and bowled again.
He put the ball in the exact same spot. It landed outside the off-stump and swung away.
This time, Kohli didn't try to play it. He lifted his bat high in the air and let the ball go safely past him into the wicketkeeper's gloves.
"Well left," Siddanth said quietly to himself.
He walked back and bowled a third ball. Again, the exact same spot. Just outside the off-stump, swinging away.
Kohli let it go again.
Siddanth was happy with his own rhythm. His action felt clean. He was putting the ball exactly where he wanted it.
He bowled the fourth ball. Same spot.
Kohli got impatient. He wanted to feel the ball on his bat. He stepped forward and tried to drive the ball hard. Because the ball was swinging away, he didn't hit it in the middle of the bat. The ball hit the thick outside edge and flew sharply to the right, right into the area where the slip fielders would be standing in a real match.
Siddanth stopped and looked at Kohli.
"You chased it," Siddanth told him. "You knew it was swinging away, but you still tried to hit it."
Kohli shook his head, looking down at the pitch. "I thought it was a bit fuller. I thought I could reach it."
"It was the same length as the last three balls," Siddanth pointed out. "If it is outside the off-stump and moving away, leave it alone. The Australian bowlers will bowl there all day waiting for you to make that exact mistake."
"I know, I know," Kohli said, getting back into his batting stance. "Bowl it again."
Siddanth walked back to his mark.
He ran in and bowled the fifth ball. He aimed for the exact same spot outside the off-stump.
But this time, as he let go of the ball, he changed his fingers slightly. Instead of making the ball swing away, he made it go straight.
Kohli saw the ball land outside his off-stump. Thinking it was going to swing away again, he lifted his bat high and left it alone.
The ball didn't swing. It went straight on, zipped past his pads, and hit the top of the off-stump with a loud crack.
Kohli turned around and stared at his broken stumps.
Siddanth walked down the pitch and picked up the stump. He pushed it back into the ground.
"You set me up," Kohli said, taking his helmet off and wiping the sweat from his face. "Four balls swinging away, and then one straight."
"It is a simple trick," Siddanth said, walking back to his mark. "But it works if you are not watching the ball closely enough. You assumed it was going to swing. Never assume. Watch the ball all the way to the bat."
"Right," Kohli put his helmet back on. "Let's go. Again."
For the next half hour, they fought a silent battle in the practice net.
Siddanth did not bowl any short balls. He did not try to hit Kohli. He just bowled outside the off-stump, over and over again. He tested Kohli's patience.
He would bowl three balls swinging away, forcing Kohli to leave them. Then he would bowl one that came slightly back in.
Kohli batted with complete focus. He left the wide balls alone. He defended the straight balls solidly. Sometimes, Siddanth would bowl a ball that was just full enough, and Kohli would lean into a beautiful cover drive, sending the ball racing across the practice field.
It was a perfect training session for both of them. Siddanth was practicing his accuracy, and making the ball swing perfectly. Kohli was practicing his discipline, forcing himself not to hit the dangerous balls outside his off-stump.
Anil Kumble stood a few nets away. He watched Siddanth and Kohli practicing. He saw how hard they were working. He saw the quality of the bowling and the batting. Kumble didn't say anything, but he couldn't deny that his captain and vice-captain were preparing perfectly for the upcoming series.
Siddanth bowled his final over of the session. He was sweating heavily now. His shirt was sticking to his back.
He ran in for the last ball. He bowled it full, right on the off-stump.
Kohli stepped forward and met the ball with a perfectly straight bat, pushing it gently down the pitch.
"Good session," Kohli said, relaxing his stance and taking off his batting gloves.
Siddanth walked down the pitch to grab his water bottle. "You batted well. You left the wide balls alone much better in the second half."
"It is hard work," Kohli admitted, untying his leg pads. "Facing you for forty minutes is more tiring than playing a whole match against most teams. You don't give away any easy runs."
"I try not to," Siddanth said, drinking some water.