Varun Chakaravarthy (Getty Images)

MUMBAI: Wednesday’s nets session was an optional one, but Varun Chakravarthy was out there, alongside bowling coach Morne Morkel, slogging it out in searing heat.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The focus throughout the session, and during the mammoth one that India put in on Tuesday evening, was on the length he needs to hit against England in the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

Varun started the T20 World Cup campaign with a bang, ending the four-match group stage with nine wickets at a strike rate of 8. But in the Super Eights, while bowling against stronger opponents, he was found somewhat wanting. In the three games, he took just two wickets at a strike-rate of 24 and conceded 10.16 runs per over, which is much higher than his career economy rate of 7.23. He finished with figures of 1/47 against South Africa, 1/35 against Zimbabwe and 1/40 against West Indies.Against South Africa, David Miller, Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs showed the courage to take on the mystery spinner. As a result, he erred in his line and length—bowling a bit short or fuller when put under pressure—which brought him into the batters’ arc to hit him down the ground or either side of the wicket. The story repeated against the West Indies in the last match at the Eden Gardens, with Shimron Hetmyer and Jason Holder going after the Kolkata Knight Riders’ spinner. When the batters took him on, they curtailed his ability to apply the squeeze in the middle overs and take wickets to keep the opponents on the mat.

Varun is still among the top-five wicket-takers in this edition with 12 scalps, but teams seem to have dissected his variations, especially the googly, which has been his go-to delivery to take wickets. Almost 75% of his wickets in T20Is have come with the googly. When he has bowled the googly at pace, rival batters have played him as an incoming bowler and tried to hit him straighter. When he has got one to turn away, batters have backed themselves and adjusted.With the likes of Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks in their ranks, England will take a cue from Varun’s outings against South Africa and West Indies, make use of the shorter boundaries and put the 34-year-old under pressure.During the media interaction, Morkel revealed that discussions with Varun centred around getting “clarity” of his plans a day ahead of the match and “allowing him to walk away feeling good about his body”.“With the variations that Varun’s got, he’s got the ability to take a wicket with almost every ball. So, the discussion was that if he goes for a boundary, the aim is to move on to the next one and make sure he commits to that next ball. He’s hard to pick once you walk into the crease. So, for him it’s just about getting that confidence into the ball, getting his speed, his length and control right,” said Morkel.

Jasprit Bumrah of India celebrates the wicket of Shimron Hetmyer of West Indies during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India & Sri Lanka 2026 Super 8 match between India and West Indies at Eden Gardens on March 01, 2026 in Kolkata, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: The mercury reached uncomfortable levels on Wednesday, with weather forecast apps flashing a “danger of dehydration and heatstroke if outside for extended periods of time” warning. There were occasional moderate breezes, but they were not strong enough to make it a pleasant afternoon. The pitch baked under the harsh sun for most of the day, and the ground staff gently rolled it to keep it game-ready for the semi-final between India and England.From a distance, it seemed to have a nice green tinge, but it was the typical misleading sub-continent green. Its only role was to bind the surface together and prevent it from deteriorating and drying more than normal. The centre strip naturally drew the most attention when the two teams trained on the eve of the match, and both camps hummed similar tunes as they expect it to offer plenty of runs. When India trained two days before the match, light dew started settling on the outfield, but it was not alarming. However, the sudden shift in the weather pattern could make it another talking point.

India bowling coach Morne Morkel delved deeply into the subject, explaining at length why the extra bounce at the venue is a double-edged sword. Having played and watched a lot of cricket at the Wankhede, Morkel asserted that margins here are smaller than at most venues because the “ball travels.”“Look, I think the dew is always a big concern. But that’s again something you can’t control, which is the toss. I think here at Wankhede there’s always that extra bit of bounce. Guys can trust the bounce and hit through the line. But in saying that, that can also, as a bowler, bring you into the game. I just felt, or feel, that the margins here are a lot smaller, the ball travels. It’s quite a small ground. So, yeah, you just need to be really fighting for that over, stay in the moment and compete every ball because, like I said, a batter’s strength can also be his weakness on this surface. So it’s sometimes not to go too defensive and to keep attacking, because opportunities can come,” said Morkel in the pre-match presser.The last time India played England at this venue, they won by 150 runs. In that game, Abhishek Sharma smashed a 54-ball 135, including 13 sixes and seven boundaries, and the opener later picked up two wickets to seal an emphatic win. The stakes, however, are different this time because this is not an inconsequential bilateral fixture but the semi-final of the T20 World Cup.Harry Brook-led England have aced different conditions to progress to the semi-final stage, and Morkel is wary of the challenges they bring to the table. The former South African cricketer felt that the team which holds its nerve, reads the conditions well and is quickest will probably be the one that flies to Ahmedabad.“Playing against England, they’re a team that’s street smart. Obviously, there’s a lot of quality in their side, batting quite long and deep, which makes them a very dangerous side. And then with the ball also, they’ve got wicket-taking options. I think the way they approach a T20 game, fearless and trying to take the game on, will give you opportunities and makes them a dangerous side. So I feel tomorrow is going to be a good shootout between two aggressive teams. And the side that can hold its nerve, play the conditions, read some of the conditions quite well and be the quickest, I reckon, will come out on top,” added Morkel.Neither team has had a perfect game in the tournament so far. The two-time champions will collide in front of a capacity crowd, and the outcome will depend on who aces the challenge. India have had their moments, sealed important junctures in games and managed to win all matches except the fixture against South Africa.The heavy defeat in Ahmedabad set them back, making their remaining games virtual knockouts, and Suryakumar Yadav and Co. have responded well to the challenges they faced. Against Zimbabwe in Chennai, there were signs of the batting unit coming together, but there were early hiccups against the West Indies in Ahmedabad before Sanju Samson dropped anchor, and what a performance it was.The focus, however, will not be the batters but on India’s x-factor Varun Chakravarthy, who single-handedly destroyed England in the five-match T20I series. Varun returned with a haul of 14 wickets, and England’s batters remained clueless against the mystery spinner. The tournament began strongly for Varun, but he seemed to lose his rhythm in the Super 8 stage. The habit of picking up a wicket in every game has continued, but the penetration has not been the same, especially since the hammering he received from South Africa in Ahmedabad.The day before the match, he returned to his routine of bowling at a single stump, and the entire support staff rallied around him as the spinner completed his drills. The coaching staff had normal conversations with Varun, ensuring he walked away feeling good about his bowling. He is an important player who could be the difference between the two sides in the high-pressure fixture on Thursday.

“I keep telling him that in our bowling lineup, with the skill and variation Varun has got, he has the ability to take a wicket almost every ball. So if he goes for a boundary, he has not executed as well as possible. For him it is just about moving on to the next one and making sure he commits to that next ball. I think he’s a highly skilful guy, hard to pick once you walk to the crease. So for him it is just about getting that confidence with the ball, getting his speed, length and control right, and not trying to overthink it. I think with Varun at times, to his credit, he wants to be a big performer for the team, so he puts a little pressure on himself. But, yeah, he’s a match-winner for us, and for him it is just to stay and bowl every ball and make sure it is his best ball,” said Morkel.India have managed to deal with pressure in their last two must-win games. They must embrace that same approach for two more matches if they are to become the only side in the world to win a T20 World Cup at home and defend the title. The shootout at Wankhede is the first challenge.