NEW DELHI: Had mystery spinners Varun Chakravarthy, Abrar Ahmed and Usman Tariq tuned in to the Australia vs Zimbabwe game at the Premadasa Stadium, their pulse would surely have quickened ahead of Sunday’s marquee India vs Pakistan clash.

On a tacky, freshly relaid Khettarama surface — the stadium’s original name — Zimbabwe’s pacers cleverly deployed slower deliveries to choke the Australian batters, scripting a stunning 23-run upset on Friday.

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It is easy to imagine, then, the kind of impact Chakravarthy, Ahmed and Tariq — all practitioners of mystery-laced craft — could have on batters on such a surface.

Chakravarthy’s shift from sidespin to overspin during last year’s Indian Premier League significantly boosted his effectiveness, given his greater dependence on angles rather than sharp turn.

Along with subtle tweaks in angles, Chakravarthy also operates at a quicker pace than most modern spinners, averaging around 95 kmph, although this surface may compel him to take some pace off.

“At such speeds and angles, length is more important. Varun has an ideal length. It’s neither too short nor too full, so the batsmen cannot hang back comfortably and pull or come out confidently to play those big shots. He can create a lot of doubts in batsmen’s mind with his lengths,” former India spinner Sunil Joshi explained.

That assessment hardly bodes well for someone like Babar Azam, now batting at No. 4, a position that falls neatly into Chakravarthy’s functional zone.

The former Pakistan captain still finds it tough to force the tempo early, and his outing against the USA offered another glimpse of his struggle to adapt fully to the demands of modern T20 cricket.

Babar took 20 balls to register his first six in that match — a rarity even in ODIs these days — and his task will only get tougher against a bowler like Chakravarthy, who rarely offers freebies.

Pakistan’s unconventional counter

Pakistan, however, possess an intriguing counter to Chakravarthy’s sorcery in the form of the unconventional Usman Tariq.

His pause-and-sling action has already become a talking point in cricketing circles, and come Sunday, the off-spinner will be eager to halt India’s formidable batting line-up.

Keen observers may spot shades of former Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga — the original slinger pacer — in Tariq’s action.

“His action, the primary attraction of his bowling, allows him to keep the ball below the batsmen’s eye line. So, it’s not easy to hit him, it is almost like you are dealing with yorkers every ball.

"But more than that, Tariq is a mature person, who understands his game and reads the batsmen well. He has come through some struggles. The whole action and mystery just add to his personality,” said Nabeel Hashmi, General Manager of Quetta Gladiators — Tariq’s Pakistan Super League franchise — in an interaction with PTI.

Abrar still a threat on a slow deck

Abrar Ahmed may have been partially decoded, and Indian batters have faced him on multiple occasions, but on a pace-sapping Premadasa pitch, the leg-spinner can still pose serious problems.

The 27-year-old leans heavily on his googly and carrom ball, with 34 of his 49 T20I wickets coming from those two deliveries.

Unlike flamboyant wrist-spinners such as Yuzvendra Chahal, Abrar does not rely on flight to lure batters. Instead, he attacks the stumps relentlessly, planting seeds of doubt with his accuracy.

The RPICS surface here could prove to be a perfect ally for him on Sunday.

“Premadasa can often give good help to spinners, if you have noticed how Sri Lankan spinners operated at this venue for years. You just need to pitch the ball in the right areas and the track here will do the rest. Spinners can easily put into play bowled or leg before dismissals here, if they find that right length,” former Sri Lanka spinner Upul Chandana observed.

(With PTI Inputs)