Asish Kumar Chapter One: The Collapse The roar of the crowd at Wankhede Stadium was deafening, a cyclone of noise and anticipation as the scoreboard blinked “19.5 overs – 164/7.” One ball left. Five runs needed. And standing at the crease, helmet tilted back slightly under the blistering floodlights, was Punit Shekhawat—the poster boy of modern Indian cricket, the heartthrob of the nation, the boy from Jodhpur who had become Mumbai Thunder’s talisman. Sweat shimmered off his brow as he took his stance. In the commentary box, voices trembled with energy. In the VIP box, team owner Vikrant Bajaj sipped…