The weather was warm as the sad-faced team made their way to the locker room. "We lost! I still don't believe it!" exclaimed Sujay. "I was expecting it," replied Viraj furiously. The Rainbow Riders had played one football match in the league, with two more remaining before the final.
The coach was waiting for them in the locker room. Neither Sujay nor Viraj had calmed down; they continued to find fault in each other. Viraj looked at the coach and said, "Sir, if the team had listened to me, we would have won."
Viraj was not done complaining, "I asked Sujay to pass the ball to me but he didn't." Sujay couldn't remain quiet any longer, shouting "I have done my bit as a player. Talk about yourself Viraj, what you were doing?" After a few minutes, they silently looked at their coach. Both were expecting to be scolded.
The coach calmly and quietly asked the team to sit. "Okay, boys, forget what has happened and let's start fresh. I have something interesting for you." Although amazed by the coach's reaction, they still did not cheer up.
He stood up and held up a plain t-shirt. "Before our final match, we have to design a team jersey. I want you all to do it together." The boys looked at each other. "Come on, let's get started. You need to come up with a design by tomorrow." "Tomorrow?!" they all shouted together.
The kids excitedly started discussing ideas. "Let's make it blue. Blue is a cool color," Viraj declared bossily. "I think orange rocks. Bold and nice," Sujay exclaimed. Similarly, the rest stated their color choices. But one had remained silent.
"Guys, why don't we take all the colors?" suggested Amol after everyone had given their choice. Nobody had thought about it and agreed it was a good idea. They made a sample and were amazed at the outcome. "Let's show it to sir..." one of them suggested.
Together, they ran to the coach, holding their prized possession. They waited for his feedback. "Lovely, who did it?" the coach asked. "We did it together, sir!" Viraj said, filled with team spirit. The coach added, "Now I am sure you will win the final match." Everyone was stunned, "How come, sir?"
"How did you come up with such a brilliant idea?" the coach asked. "It was Amol's idea, and we all agreed," replied one of the players. The coach replied, "Exactly! Just as all the colors in the jersey merged with each other, you too adjusted with each other's views, leaving behind your grudges."
Yes, sir!" all the boys answered confidently. "This will lead us to victory." All the boys thanked Amol, saying, "We enjoyed designing this jersey. Let us play the next match like this - without disagreement. Cheers to our team!"
