ICT won the series in Wankhede, and a lot of players came to visit Ishan and celebrate their victory, but something seemed amiss. Maybe it was the somber atmosphere after seeing their second teammate down with injuries, or maybe it was the usual hullaballu missing from the young patakha.

For his part, Ishan did try to cause mayhem with his antics from the confines of his bed, but it did not feel the same. He chalked it down to exhaustion, but when his eyes strayed to the door for the fourth time when Tilak and Shreya bhai came to visit, he knew ki daal me kuch kaala hai. It didn't help that every time he glanced at his phone or the door, Virat and Rohit wore matching smirks on their face, as if they knew something he didn't. He scowled at them, but only received hair ruffling in response.