“I have a soft spot for leg-spinner. In under-15 cricket, I once sided with four of them,” said Srinivasa Rao, one of Chennai’s most respected coaches. India knew exactly what they wanted; the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association knew exactly who to call.
Tuesday night at the MA Chidambaram Stadium became a test of spin. With their second World T20 Super 8 match against Zimbabwe looming on Thursday, India were subjected to a nearly four-hour deliberate test of slow bowling. Rao’s boys, along with India’s own arsenal, ensured that the batsmen clashed the very condition that destroyed them.
It was inevitable, perhaps even therapeutic.
Heralded as an unbeaten juggernaut capable of topping 300 runs in T20s, this batting order was unceremoniously undone as South Africa retreated from the pace. Chasing 188 on Sunday, they were reduced to a ghostly 111. The diagnosis was clear: Chennai would be a test of patience and manufactured power. Were they able to dominate when the ball refused to come to the bat?
Trained all 14 available team members. Only Rinku Singh was missingwho was flying home due to a family emergency. The intensity was unmistakable. While the arithmetic of semi-final permutations swirled in the outside world, India’s inner world at Chepauk was one of clinical execution – fine-tuning matches and trying out roles should Rinku remain unavailable for Thursday’s match.
The training started around 18:00. A soft February evening settled over Chennai. The sun had set behind the stands; birds swooped overhead. Above ground, the water in the on-site swimming pool rhythmically splashed as local athletes trained, and the sound carried into the open stadium. Chepauka briefly held its calm, as if the sea had stopped between tides. Then India finished their warm-up and the silence was replaced by the sharp, unmistakable crack of the bat-ball.
Zimbabwe, who lost to the West Indies in Mumbai on Monday, arrived in Chennai on Tuesday but decided not to train. Chepauk belonged entirely to India.
ABHISHEK JOINS THE SPIN-BOWLING TEAM
The first group walked in.
Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav took one net each.
Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson second.
Abhishek Sharma was not among the batsmen. He had the ball in his hand. Abhsishek started with ball in hand (Credit: PTI)
In a week where the batting positions were endlessly dissected, his absence from the first lot carried its own quiet intrigue. But that was nothing new. During this World Cup, Abhishek loosened up by rolling his arm first, getting into the rhythm of practice before stepping into the scrutiny that awaits him with the bat.
His tournament so far has been shaped by three ducks and a hard-working 14. However, his routine has remained unchanged. Until recently, there was a straight call of Samson versus Abhishek. However, Rinku’s absence changed the arithmetic; against Zimbabwe, there may be room for both on Thursday against Zimbabwe.
Abhishek had crossed his full quota before even considering the pads. He joins the spin core of Axar Patel, carrying the quiet steel of the man controversially benched, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar.
India’s top spinners pounced on two of their best spin players – Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav. This was no simulation. It was India testing India at full strength.
SURYAKUMAR FIRM AGAINST SPIN
Suryakumar made an immediate impact. Authoritatively swept by Kuldeep, he stepped forward without hesitation and struck straight. Their duel unfolded in cycles, the pressure changing delivery after delivery, like waves advancing and receding along Marina Beach. Suryakumar dictated whenever the length allowed but Kuldeep resisted, forced the hesitation, regained control and refused to disappear under the attack.
Tilak moved differently. There was urgency in his approach. Still carrying the weight of Ahmedabad, Varun was looking for a place to unwind. He spent almost 30 minutes adjusting, recalibrating, and reacquainting himself with familiar conditions. Suryakumar took on the spinners and challenged them in the nets (Credit: PTI)
Tilak offered no relief.
Here, criticism of his medium pace dogged him. His answer was decisive. He came down the ground, stretched through mid-wicket and refused to be caught. Each clean strike flew with intent, forcing Varun to face the same questions again and again.
Washington repeated his actions with precision. Abhishek lunged with purpose. Axar’s presence remained steady, his rhythm unbroken, his execution controlled.
DID SAMSON FIND FLUID?
In the adjacent network, the pace took over. Backed by local medium pacers, Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh challenged Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson.
The difference became apparent quickly.
Ishan attacked unhindered. His bat moved with violence, each stroke carrying remnants of release and reaction. Siraj and Arshdeep repeatedly tested him; he responded with further acceleration and refused to back down.
However, when it was Sanju Samson’s turn, the rhythm faltered. He looked like that lone wave that promises to demolish a sandcastle but loses its teeth and falls out before it reaches the shore. The intent was there, but the execution was scratchy; Arshdeep’s left arm angle often found Samson’s footwork lacking. Kishan refused to back down when it came to the intention to attack (Credit: PTI)
After more than an hour, the groups switched roles.
Against spin, Ishan has become even more dangerous. Alerts spread quickly from people inside the networks to those beyond. The ball flew hard and often, forcing everyone near the ropes to stay alert.
Samson stabilized. Against Varun, Washington, Kuldeep and Axar, his movements were clearer, his timing cleaner. The hesitation that had marked his pace gave way. Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has been keeping a close eye on the recovery rather than looking for it.
WHEN ABHISHEK FINALLY FIRED
Training in India usually strictly separates spin and pace. Here this difference disappeared. Spin took over both nets and swallowed the entire evening as if the tide had swallowed the shore inch by inch.
Abhishek then stepped into bat.
The diet plan was strictly followed. No tempo was offered. Siraj and Arshdeep completed their works. Instead, he was fed a relentless stream of Rao’s off-spinners who deflected the ball. Medium pacemakers reduced speed and reduced momentum.
It was a mirror of the South African trap. The secret is out: Abhishek thrives on adrenaline-fuelled pace but stutters when asked to generate his own momentum against the spinning ball.
He answered with surprising poise. There was a balanced fluidity to his movements that betrayed his lean scorecard. Trusting his form, he absorbed the pressure and waited. From that border, he looked less like a man in search of form and more like a man who rediscovered it.
This is why leadership lasts. They see it rebuild before it becomes visible in the numbers.
As the jumbo session reached its crescendo, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel targeted the death overs. Axar was outstanding, hitting the ball with clinical, unhurried authority. If Samson returns to the top of the order against Zimbabwe, Tilak is likely to rise and Axar will join the finishers. His preparation reflected ownership of this responsibility. Based on this evidence, he is more than ready.
ARSH DEEP CAMEO
However, the most joyous cameo of the night came from Arshdeep Singh. Thanks to his long stay with the bat, he turned into a middle-order marauder. Even as the nets were dismantled, he begged for more, sending deliveries to the media box and sending ball boys on long coastal treks.
The night ended with a moment of lightness. Abhishek, Ishan and Suryakumar – specialist batsmen – all rolled their arms and used the ball as a makeshift stump. Their goal? Mohammad Siraj, who spent the final moments of the session stoically defending his goal.
India arrived in Chennai under a cloud of scrutiny. They left the lawn, stared their weaknesses in the face and found their rhythm in the city where the land meets the sea.
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– The end
Published on:
February 25, 2026
