David Miller stepped out. The ball from Varun Chakaravarthy was shorter than he had hoped, but Miller had committed. He swung anyway, launching it straight over long-on. Six. Varun’s head dropped for a moment. Then came the next ball.In seven matches this World Cup, batsmen have hit Varun for nine sixes. Not a huge number. An unusual one. Most are content playing him safely, letting his mystery pass without risk. But something has changed. Miller, Dewald Brevis, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder—all front-foot players, all willing to hit straight even when not quite at the pitch. They’ve backed themselves against a spinner who doesn’t turn the legbreak much anymore.“They are just backing themselves,” AC Pratheepan says. Varun’s mentor has watched every ball of this tournament. “And you have to give it to them. To play a couple of T20 matches without getting hit is impossible. There will be batsmen who will try to score off you. And if you look at Miller, Brevis, Hetmyer and Holder, they are all front-foot players, trying to hit straight. This is where the game awareness comes in and Varun will take care of it.”ALSO READ | Faith helps Sanju Samson move mountains, just like fisher-folk from his Kerala villageEighteen months ago, Varun made a shift. From side-spin to over-spin, chasing bounce over turn. The trade-off was deliberate: more bounce, less deviation. Top of off-stump became his length. Varying the line, hitting the spot, letting the lack of turn become its own puzzle.It worked. He climbed to No. 1 in the T20I rankings. Forty-three matches, forty-three variations of the same principle.But the shift came with consequences. Varun doesn’t generate much deviation anymore. Since moving to over-spin to generate more bounce, he had to compromise on turn. With batsmen now prepared to play him confidently—knowing there isn’t huge risk of the ball spinning big—they’ve found ways to attack. The top-of-off length that used to be his strength has become something they can trust when they commit. India’s Varun Chakravarthy celebrates with teammates after dismissing Max O’Dowd of the Netherlands during the T20 World Cup match. (PHOTO: AP)Seven of his ten worst performances—conceding thirty-five runs or more—have come since the South Africa series before this World Cup. Against the West Indies on Sunday, he went for forty. Against South Africa earlier, forty-seven. The numbers suggest a pattern. Pratheepan sees something else.Story continues below this ad“I went through the data. I can boldly say he is bowling well. The data will tell you that.”Twelve wickets in the tournament, tied with Lungi Ngidi for second most. Economy rate of 7.66. Strike rate of twelve. The mystery spinner who doesn’t turn the ball much is still getting batsmen out.At the Wankhede on Thursday, India face England in the world cup semi-final. Pratheepan and Varun have exchanged calls throughout the tournament. No talk of changing anything.ALSO READ | T20 World Cup: Varun Chakaravarthy returns to Chepauk after South Africa debacleStory continues below this ad“What do I tell him? What more you expect out of a mystery spinner?” Pratheepan asks. “If you look at the pitches, there hasn’t been much deviation. If someone else is getting deviation and he isn’t, then we can say maybe we can do something. Varun knows that. He isn’t worried.”But there is something. A different bowler could turn up Thursday. “Angles.” It isn’t an aspect Varun relies on much. But he’s been preparing for this. The last eighteen months haven’t just been about over-spin and bounce. They’ve been about creating options for moments like these.“You can create angles to get deviation,” Pratheepan explains. “Trajectory, crease, over the wicket and around—there are multiple options. Just because of two games, you can’t cut down the process that has helped him climb the ladder.”The angles create what the over-spin alone cannot: deviation without needing side-spin. By changing his position on the crease, altering his trajectory, switching between over and around the wicket, Varun can make the ball do things that batsmen haven’t prepared for. It’s not about abandoning what’s worked. It’s about adding layers. Brian Bennett and Sikander Raza hit him against the line in the Zimbabwe match, showing it can be done—though most batsmen avoid it given the risk involved. Miller and Brevis went straight, showing the top-of-off length can be trusted when you commit. The batsmen have found ways. Varun has others.Story continues below this adThe team management isn’t concerned. The acknowledgement is straightforward: batsmen who’ve succeeded against Varun have taken risks. He hasn’t given room. When he’s had an off-day, India’s middle-overs bowling has looked flat. But the numbers tell a different story from the perception.Forty-three T20Is. Ten bad days. Seven recently. Twelve wickets this tournament, No. 1 ranking intact. Pratheepan’s voice is certain: “It has given him massive success. Why tamper?” On Thursday at the Wankhede, England will face a mystery spinner who doesn’t turn the ball much. They’ll prepare for over-spin, for the top-of-off length, for minimal deviation. They might not prepare for angles.