Jai's hands were shaking. He hid them behind his back so no one on
the team would notice. The district kabaddi finals were in four
minutes, and Anand Academy — the team that had beaten them three
years in a row — was already warming up on the other side of the
mat, their movements sharp and synchronized like a machine.
"Listen up," Jai said, pulling his team into a huddle. Seven faces
looked back at him, sweaty and tense. He was the captain. He was
supposed to have a plan.
"We protect Meena," he said. "That's the whole strategy. Meena is our
best raider. If they take her out early, we're done. So every single
one of you — corners, left cover, right cover — your job is not to
score points. Your job is to make sure Meena stays on that mat."
Priya, the left corner, frowned. "What about attacking? What about —"
"Protect. Meena." Jai's voice cracked on the second word, and he
hoped no one caught it. "She's our Bhishma. She's the one who wins
this for us. The rest of us just need to keep her safe."
The whistle blew. Anand Academy moved like water — fast, fluid,
impossible to catch. Within two minutes, they had tagged out three
of Jai's players. The score was lopsided. The crowd noise was a
dull roar that made Jai's ears ring.
But Meena was still on the mat. Every time an Anand raider lunged
for her, Priya was there, or Dev, or Sahil — someone stepping in,
taking the tag instead, clearing a path for Meena to escape. They
fell, one by one, like shields around a queen in chess.
And then Meena raided. Once, twice, three times — each raid a blur
of speed and instinct that brought back two, three, four players.
By the final whistle, the score was tied. And then Meena went in
one last time, touched three defenders in a single breath, and
sprinted back across the line.
They won.
In the celebration afterward, Jai sat quietly on the bench, his
hands still trembling. Meena came over and sat beside him.
"Good plan, Captain," she said.
Jai shook his head. "I was terrified the whole time. I just kept
saying 'protect Meena' because I didn't know what else to say."
She laughed. "Sometimes that's enough. Knowing who matters most —
that is a plan."
Duryodhana's command was simple: protect Bhishma. It came from
fear, not wisdom. But even a frightened leader can stumble onto
the right idea — if they know who their strongest person is.
