12th Man to Cricket Legend

Author's Note:🏆

Hey everyone! Before we jump into today's chapter, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for reading. Your votes, comments, and support mean the world to me. Happy reading! 💖

.

.

.

If you like the story, remember to give a review. It'll motivate me to continue with same passion ✌️😁

And, Extra love to some readers who are supporting me ❤️

******

The digital world didn't just witness a cricket over.

It witnessed the birth of a legendary meme.

By the time Mitchell Johnson left after getting his cap from the umpire, the "Go find it" retort had already trended to #1 worldwide.

The 2014 internet which was a mix of Twitter feuds and Facebook fan wars, was in a state of total meltdown.

The Digital Aftermath: April 28, 2014

@mufaddal_vohra (verified):

"YOU KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. NOW GO FIND IT!" Rocky Rudra to Mitchell Johnson. 19 years old. 153km/h pace. Out of the stadium. This is the coldest moment in IPL history. Absolute goosebumps! 🐺🔥 #IPL2014 #RCBvKXIP #TheWolf

u/Namma_Challenger [r/RCB]: "Did he really just tell an Ashes winner to go fetch the ball? My neighbors probably think I'm being murdered with how loud I just screamed. 16 runs off Johnson! Ee Sala Cup Namde! 🔴🙌"

@SagarSarcasm:

Image of Mitchell Johnson looking for the ball in the Dubai desert

Johnson: "It's 5 ounces and white."

Rudra: "It's currently in a taxi headed to Abu Dhabi. Go find it." 😂😂😂 #RockyRudra #Meme

@Aussie_Diehard: "As an Australian, I should be mad. But that was pure fun. The pull shot, the stare, the sledge. Rocky Rudra is more Australian than Mitchell Johnson right now. Respect. 🇦🇺🏏"

@MIPaltan_Exposed: "We traded the guy who just told Johnson to go fetch. Let that sink in. Our management needs to be put in a room with an angry Rocky Rudra. 🤡💔 #TradeRegret"

@KingKohli_FC: "Look at Virat's face from the dugout! He was grinning before the ball even landed. He knows he's got a savage in the team. The King and the Wolf are taking over! 👑🐺"

u/PunjabLion [r/KXIP]: "Maxwell, please save us. Mitchell just got bullied by a teenager. I've never seen Johnson's shoulders drop like that. This is a nightmare start for us. 😭"

@TheBakchod: "Rocky Rudra is that kid who hits a six in gully cricket and tells the uncle to bring the ball back himself. Zero fear. Total Alpha. 🗿"

@CricCrazyJohns: "153 km/h yorker flicked for four. 155 km/h bouncer hit out of the park. Rocky Rudra is playing a video game on Easy mode. 🎮✨"

@Zomato: "Go find it." Don't worry Mitchell, if you can't find it, we'll deliver a new one in 10 minutes. 🍕🚀 #RudraFast #IPL

u/Neutral_Crics: "I used to think the Rudra hype was PR. I was wrong brother. You don't say that to Mitchell Johnson unless you are 100% HIM. The league is in trouble. 🧊"

@GabbbarSingh: Rocky Rudra to Mitchell Johnson: "Beta, tumse na ho payega." (Son, you won't be able to do it.) #GoFindIt #IPL2014"

@TrendsInIndia: "#GoFindIt is now the fastest trending hashtag in India. 1.2 Million tweets in 15 minutes. The Wolf has broken the internet. 🐺📈"

u/Anti_Hype_Squad: "Okay, the 'Go Find It' line was cold. I'll give him that. But Gayle is 1 off 2. If Punjab gets the Big Boss, the game changes. 🤫"

@Odia_Power: "FROM CUTTACK TO DUBAI! Our boy just humbled the best bowler in the world. Sujit Sir must be crying tears of joy! #RockyRudra"

@TrollCricketIn: (Meme Template: "Look at me, I am the captain now") Rocky Rudra to the entire KXIP bowling attack. 🐺✌️

@HarshaBhogle_XD: I can still hear Harsha laughing in my head. "A teenager told him to go fetch!" The commentary makes this even better. 🎙️😂

@BritishCricNut: "Somewhere in England, Alastair Cook just opened a bottle of champagne after seeing Johnson get smashed like that. Thank you, Rocky Rudra! 🥂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿"

@EeSalaCupNamde_Bot: "RETORT OF THE YEAR. CENTURY OF THE YEAR. WOLF OF THE YEAR. 🐺🔴🔥"

@Thought_IPL: "17 runs. Over 1. The unbeaten Kings are bleeding. If Maxwell doesn't respond with bat, this game is ending in 10 overs. The Wolf isn't hunting. He's feasting. 🌙🍖"

___

The "Go Find It" retort had instantly become the most viral moment in IPL history, trending #1 worldwide within 4 minutes of the delivery and eclipsing the social media volume of Gayle's 175*, Rudra's madness 168 from the previous season.

Global Reactions

The United Kingdom

The Barmy Army and England fans, still traumatized by Johnson's 37 wickets in the recent Ashes whitewash, had turned Rudra into an instant cult hero.

The "Schadenfreude" was overwhelming.

@BarmyArmy ✅: "He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right... and Rocky Rudra hits him out of sight! 🎵 Finally, someone said what we were all thinking in the winter! #GoFindIt #AshesRevenge"

@PiersMorgan ✅: "BOOM! That is precisely how you handle a bully. Mitchell Johnson has spent 6 months bullying my country, and a 19-year-old Indian kid just dismantled him with one sentence. Arise, Ser Rocky. 🙇"

@Root66: "Watching the IPL in the hotel... that sound off the bat was frightening. The stare was even worse. 😳"

@Jimmy9: "Well... that was interesting. Pace is pace, but that pull shot was personal. #IPL2014"

@FreddieFlintoff: "Hahaha! 'Go find it.' Best sledge I've heard since 2005. Mitch looks like he's seen a ghost. Or a Wolf..."

@Swannyg66: "I'd pay good money to see the look on Boof Lehmann's face right now. Rudra might be an honorary Englishman after tonight."

@NasserHussain: "You cannot bowl there to him. We saw it in New Zealand, we saw it in South Africa. If you bowl short, you are asking for a fight you might lose. Mitchell Johnson just lost the plot."

@VaughanCricket: "The silence from the Aussies on my timeline is deafening. 153kph dispatched. That is serious talent."

@Aggerscricket: "Remarkable poise. To treat a fast bowler of that caliber with such disdain... it reminds me of Viv Richards."

Australian fans were torn between defending their spearhead and issuing warnings about provoking Rudra.

@CricketAus: "One over doesn't make a summer. Mitch will be back. He thrives on the fight. Watch your toes next ball, Rudra. ⚡"

@Warne888: "Don't poke the bear, mate. You've hit him for six, good on ya. But telling Mitch Johnson to fetch it? You might want to wear a second helmet."

@Gilly381: "That sound... I haven't heard a ball hit like that since Symonds. This kid is the real deal, but he's woken up a monster."

@DennisCricket: "English fans chirping up like they didn't just lose 5-0. Rudra is good, but let's see him do it on a Perth crack. Mitch is just warming up."

@Aussie_101: "Technique was perfect. Attitude? We'll see. If he backs it up, fair play. If he gets out next ball, he looks like a fool. High stakes cricket."

@Slats7: "Disrespectful? Maybe. Entertaining? Absolutely. This is what the IPL is about. Gladiator stuff."

@MitchStarc_parody: "👀"

@R_ABD17: "I'm sitting in the dugout and I still have goosebumps. That was... loud."

@BrettLee_58: "153 clicks. You don't have time to think. That was pure instinct. The retort was pure adrenaline. I love it."

___

India: The Meme Storm (Another side)

Indian social media had descended into chaos.

The "Go Find It" line was already on t-shirts.

@Trendulkar ✅: "Mitchell Johnson: 'I am the fear.' Rocky Rudra: 'I am the GPS. Go find the ball.' 😂 #GoFindIt #RCBvKXIP"

@VirendreSehwag(parody): "Uppar cut, pull shot, same result. Ball lost. Bowler lost. Maza aa gaya! The Wolf never barks, he bites."

@KohliFanClub: "Did you see Virat's face?? He threw his glove from the dugout! He is pumped! This duo is illegal. 🔥🔥🔥"

@RCBTweets: "STATUS UPDATE: We are currently looking for a cricket ball in the Dubai parking lot. If found, please return to Mr. M. Johnson. 🐺🔴⚫"

@SrBachchan: "The confidence of youth! 'Go find it.' Stunning. Simply stunning. 🇮🇳"

@CricCrazyJohns: "Rudra's SR against 145kph+ bowling is now 280.00. He doesn't just play pace, he hunts it."

@GabbbarSingh: "Johnson tried to be the villain from Sholay, Rudra turned out to be the Angry Young Man. 'Jaa ball dhund ke laa.'"

@RaviShastriOfc: "TRACER BULLET! He didn't just hit it, he dismissed it from his presence! The arrogance of genius!"

@Mumbaikar_Rohan: "I'm an MI fan but... I can't even hate him. Rudra is representing Indian cricket right now. He just sonned one of the best bowler in the world."

@IPLMemes: "Image of Johnson with hands on hips -> 'When you realize you aren't in the Ashes anymore.'"

@Adidas: "The Hunt is On. And the ball is Gone. #Rudra"

The Viral Aftermath.

The phrase "Now Go Find It" had already generated 1.2 million tweets in 15 minutes.

Wikipedia Update: Mitchell Johnson's page was briefly edited to list his occupation as "Ball Boy for Rocky Rudra."

Google Maps: A new landmark named "Rudra's Landing Spot" had appeared in the desert outside Dubai International Stadium.

eBay: A listing for "The ball Rudra hit" had appeared, priced at $50,000 (unverified)

.

.

.

.

(A/N: Want to read advance chapters? Check the author's note and give Power Stones ❤️)

=======

By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me 💎 :)