(Closed To Catch Up) Interviews With Undiscovered Authors

20. The Final Innings

Author: Maneet Surana

Blurb:

Rehaan is a young Indian cricketer. He is the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team. In the midst of the 'World ODI Cricket Championship Trophy', being hosted by India, Rehaan starts receiving threatening phone calls from a mysterious person. Who is this mysterious person? Will the person be able to achieve all the wrong he wants? 'The Final Innings', is a fictional crime thriller series surrounding the story of Rehaan.
My Impression: Wonderfully woven crime thriller within the cricket context.

Interview:

Q. How important is cricket to you? 

A. In a country where cricket is an emotion, it's highly predictable how important it is to an avid fan. It's obviously an important part of my life, it gave my first Wattpad story, what else do you want?

Q. Who is your fav cricketer and why? 

A.  I am a big fan of almost everyone from the Indian Cricket Team, but there's no one in particular that I follow. It's because of the way they are carrying 1.3 billion emotions on their backs and are good in their own ways

Q. Can you tell us a bit about the story? Why should people read it? 

A. The Final Innings is a sports-based crime thriller. It talks about the reactions and repercussions of a sport-fixing offer a young Indian Cricketer receives and how he unveils the mystery behind the caller. Readers should look forward to some great entertainment and also, it depicts the evil side of one of the most crowd-pulling sports in the world. 

Q. Who are your fav and least likable character in your story? 

A. Almost all the characters are pretty good and being the brainchild behind them, there's no scope of having one favorite. They are all created out of my imagination, that's all. Everyone has flaws, so do characters, so there are no grudges. 

Q. How long did it take to plot? 

A. It actually took 5-6 days to come up with the basic plot after the idea of the story got to me. So, I had this app installed in August 2017 with a view to writing something on here. One day I was watching an ODI and there's where I thought, I'd write something on cricket. What's cricket without some thrill? So, then I came up with a police officer closing down on a betting gang plot. But, there were no dots connecting the lead and the investigation. Finally, in the same month, one morning I woke with the actual basic plot of a murder mystery and a cricketer on the hunt of a betting racket. I was elated! 

Q. Have you researched all about cricket mafia and betting? Can you give us a tidbit that surprised you the most about the cricket world? 

A. Well, this is the first-ever story I have ever written, I didn't go in with research, you could associate the lack of research to the usual excitement and immaturity of an amateur. That's where I missed it, I feel this story would have been far better have I not chosen to go in without updating the knowledge I already had. I went only with what I had watched in movies and read in a few real-life stories. 

Q. What is the most challenging part to write this story? 

A. Managing to write the end I have planned for it! Anyone, help?

Q. Do you regret not becoming a cricketer? 

A. I have never considered cricket as a profession once I was mature enough to understand that I wasn't good at it and that in a country of 1.3 billion cricket crazy people, it requires you to have extraordinary potential to make it to the final 15. Since then, I have been happy playing street cricket, watching matches as an avid fan, getting involved in heated arguments with fellow cricket fans and watching some random analysis shows and cricketer interviews which have helped me understand the game better. And, well, in a general context, I regret absolutely nothing in my life, because, you cannot improve or change something by fretting over it or complaining...