Netflix’s Selection Day season 1, episode 5 recap

In the penultimate episode of Selection Day season one, Radha shows off his batting skills during a school match, while Manju tries to decipher a cryptic note he receives from Javed.

Mohan Kumar (Rajesh Tailang) threatens to take his sons, Radha (Yash Dholye) and Manju (Mohammad Samad) out of Weinburg Academy but stays his hand when Radha reveals that a selector will be attending the cricket match that they will be playing at in episode 5 of Selection Day.

With this reprieve, Radha and Manju make a pact not to mention their coach, Tommy Sir (Mahesh Manjrekar), in front of their father again for fear of being banished from school.

At the end of episode 4 of the show, Manju had saved the life of school bully, Javed (Karanvir Malhotra), from a fire in one of the classrooms. This being a school, the truth has long melted into fiction, with rumors about the cause of the fire running rife.

Some people believe Javed accidentally set the place alight, while others believe he did it on purpose. Another rumor is that in a rage, Manju burned Javed’s cricket kit. Manju tries to set the story straight when Javed shoves a note into his pocket.

All these shenanigans, however, have led to Manju being reinstated in the school cricket team. But, a couple of his classmates have other plans. Sophia and Zoya are working on a science project that could win them a scholarship to a top engineering college. They want Manju to help them, and while he is keen, he is also strapped for time.

The school team is excited about a selector watching their match. Tommy gives them some insights into the opposition’s team and declares that Radha and Manju will be opening for the match.

Javed is not pleased to be batting one down. He really shouldn’t be so upset – the number three batter position is historically given to the best player on the team.

Anand Mehta (Akshay Oberoi) is celebrating with his fiancée, Monica Tandon, when the shady dealer he met within the previous episode appears. The man sizes Monica up and menacingly asks for an update from Anand about his investment.

Anand is able to brush him off, but it’s obvious that if he isn’t able to convince Nellie Weinberg (Ratna Pathak Shah) to sell the land her school is on soon, Anand is going to be in trouble with this guy.

Mohan is counting on getting his first salary from his part-time job as a dog-sitter, but instead, he is fired from the job for allowing the dog to muddy the owner’s bedsheets. The salary was Mohan’s only recourse for paying the Chawl landlord rent, so now he appears to be in dire straits.

The first round of the Harris Shield cricket series begins. Manju faces the Panthers’ opening bowler, Deepak, who keeps the youngster on his toes. It doesn’t help that Manju’s mind is diverted elsewhere.

To complicate issues, Subramanya returns to have a chat with him. Instead of helping Manju decipher the quatrain that Javed had written in his note to Manju, Subramanya babbles on about altering the meaning of time. He is obsessed with this concept, but it is unclear how (or if) the God’s mission will have any impact on Manju’s story.

Mohan arrives in time to witness Radha hit his century off 36 balls, a record for Under-16s. The selector also witnessed this. Are good tidings in the offing for the Kumar family?