Samson was among the first set of batters to face the seamers at around 6.30pm IST in the first net along with Ishan Kishan, with coach Gautam Gambhir overseeing them. Whenever Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh banged it away on a back of a length or short of a length, Samson got into position quickly on the back foot and firmly pulled them away over long-on or midwicket. One such powerful hit over wide long-on had the cameramen scurrying for cover and local security officials screaming: “Watch out”.
However, when Arshdeep Singh explored a good length, Samson camped back, simply threw his hands at the ball without moving his feet, and failed to connect with a drive. During the series against New Zealand in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, he was troubled by a similar length at the stumps with Jacob Duffy and Matt Henry denying him the length or room to pump the ball over the covers or down the ground. In response, Samson tried to back away and manufacture swinging room but that didn’t work for him either.
After the heavy defeat against South Africa in Ahmedabad, ten Doeschate suggested that India will weigh up their top-order options for the match against Zimbabwe. Should they stick or twist? The potential absence of Rinku and Tuesday’s session under lights, headlined by Samson’s do-it-all performance, has hinted at twist. India will train during the day on the eve of the match too.
The incumbent left-handed openers, Kishan and Abhishek, tested themselves against the offspin of Washington Sundar and Varun, who also took the ball away from them with his wrong’uns. They also faced a local mystery spinner who tried to replicate the threat posed by Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza by hiding the ball behind his back before delivering it.
The black-soil surface that will be (re)used on Thursday is also the most central pitch, which means the spinners don’t have to worry about asymmetric boundary dimensions.
After the match against Zimbabwe, India’s last Super Eight fixture is against West Indies on March 1 in Kolkata. If India make the semi-final, that fixture will be played in Mumbai on March 5 in Mumbai, unless it is against Pakistan, in which case the match will be on March 4 in Colombo.
