IND vs SA: Spin Strategy Takes Center Stage at India’s Kolkata Practice

On Tuesday at Eden Gardens, India held an optional practice session, two days after their disappointing loss to South Africa in the first Test. The session prominently featured four separate nets.

As expected, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir focused extensively on the spinners’ net, following his team’s struggle against Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj during the initial Test.

From behind the stumps, Gambhir closely observed five Indian players—Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, and Washington Sundar—batting in the spin nets, offering them continuous feedback.

Proactive play against spin was clearly emphasized, as the Indian batters practiced their sweep and reverse sweep shots, with Gambhir encouraging them to add more power to these strokes.

Washington, who bowled just an over in the first Test, was among the earliest to commence his practice by fine-tuning his off-spin in an empty net.

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Soon after, the tall off-spinner began bowling to Jurel and Jadeja in the adjacent spin net, as India sought to replicate Harmer’s high release point and bounce.

Following nearly an hour of bowling, Washington transitioned to batting. He started with throwdowns before engaging in an extended session against the spinners, becoming the last Indian player to leave the nets.

Having faced more deliveries than anyone in the Kolkata Test, Washington mostly focused on aerial shots, especially playing down the ground.

Sudharsan and Padikkal, both contenders for a top-order spot in the Guwahati Test due to skipper Shubman Gill’s likely absence, batted for extended periods. The left-handed pair split their practice time between facing throwdowns, pacers, and spinners.

Akash Deep was the sole Indian pacer present. Under bowling coach Morne Morkel’s supervision, he bowled a lengthy spell to Jurel, Sudharsan, and Padikkal.

The Bengal bowler had his highlights during the session, occasionally finding Sudharsan’s outside edge and beating Jurel with pace. Satisfied with his performance, Akash Deep turned to his batting practice.

Meanwhile, after over 90 minutes of facing both spinners and pacers, Jurel had a detailed conversation with Gambhir before moving to one of the central nets, wearing only his front pad to focus on sweeps.

With net bowlers—an off-spinner and a left-arm spinner—bowling from either end, Jurel honed his reverse and paddle sweeps, with feedback from batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.

Continuing without his back pad, Jurel refined his front-foot play, aiming to clear the non-existent long-on and long-off.

The session concluded with Sudharsan and Washington participating in fielding drills. Sudharsan had his close-in catching abilities tested, which might influence team selection for Guwahati.

Published on Nov 18, 2025