“Score?”
“25-13.”
“Kya ghatiya score hai (what a pathetic scoreline).”
The lopsided nature of the match is purely down to Pardeep Narwal. The Patna Pirates captain is on fire. In his last two raids, he has taken out four defenders, all with that famed now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t agility that makes him such a terror in opposition territory. And this isn’t even the real thing. This is a practice game Pardeep is playing with his teammates in the unlikeliest of settings, on an artificial mat installed inside a dazzlingly lit five-star hotel ballroom. The heat of the contest is offset by the chilly environs —