Focus on Samson at India nets after Rinku returns home

Axar Patel, who sat out of India's previous two games, bowled and batted during training and might come back into contention on a black-soil surface

Deivarayan Muthu

Feb 24, 2026, 2:59 PM • Updated: 3 hrs ago

1:57

Should India be worried about their batting?

India batter Rinku Singh has flown home owing to a family emergency and is in doubt for India's Super Eight fixture against Zimbabwe in Chennai on February 26. Rinku was absent from India's training session under lights at Chepauk, two days out of their match.

Rinku has had a lean tournament so far. After scores of 6, 1, 11* and 6* in the group-stage matches, he made a duck in India's 76-run defeat against South Africa in Ahmedabad.

If Rinku is unavailable for Thursday's clash, India could potentially bring the right-handed Sanju Samson back into their XI and break up the sequence of left-handers, especially in the top order. However, Suryakumar Yadav also remains an option at No. 3. Samson had a long shift during India's near-centre-wicket training. He later also batted at the MA Chidambaram B nets, which is adjacent to the main ground.

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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.

On Tuesday, Samson regained his fluency once he came up against spin in the second net. When mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy marginally overpitched one, Samson got underneath the length, extended his arms and pumped him over the off side for six. After fine-tuning his keeping for a bit with fielding coach T Dilip, Samson headed to the side nets and had another stint under the supervision of assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. Now a Chennai Super King in the IPL, Samson even obliged fans by signing autographs on t-shirts and cricket gear. All eyes were on Samson at Chepauk.

The presence of Samson could potentially counterbalance the left-handedness in India's line-up. Oppositions have routinely matched up offspinners with India's top order, with Salman Ali Agha, Aryan Dutt, Aiden Markram all having success against Abhishek Sharma or Kishan.

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.

Axar Patel, who sat out of India's previous two games, both bowled and batted and might come back into contention on a black-soil surface, which was previously used for the Afghanistan-New Zealand match on February 8. While spinners from either side, including Mitchell Santner, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman didn't find a whole lot of turn, they did find some grip in the surface. However, there is expected to be value for shots, as was the case during the Afghanistan-New Zealand game as well.

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.

Deivarayan Muthu is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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