India lately have been all about problem-solving. It's reflected in their squad decisions. Shubman Gill doesn't fit the current batting ideas? Out he goes. Has Sanju Samson's dip prolonged? In comes Ishan Kishan. They've made brave calls and owned them with logic. But when issues stack up and there's only a 15-man squad to rely on, solutions run thin and are often recycled fixes.

Five games into the World Cup, India's top-order looks like the ghost of its recent self. Doubts and ill-decisions have all sneaked up on them, even in the wins. Batting against spin has been their biggest pet peeve - the flip in fortunes against that type of bowling bordering on the absurd. In the two years leading up to this tournament, India boasted an unparalleled average - 39.11 - and strike rate - 159.89 - against spin among full-member teams. In the World Cup, they've hit rock-bottom, averaging 17.52 and striking at 120.65 - second-worst among full-member teams.

So the memo for Tuesday evening's practice session seemed clear for Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav. India's No.3 and 4 have been two of the biggest offenders against spin for India in the tournament, their inability to breakaway adding to the woes of an already brittle top order, especially with Abhishek Sharma struggling since returning from illness. Suryakumar has managed just 79 off 74 balls against spin (SR: 106.75) and Tilak has been worse, with 45 off 48 (SR: 93.75).

They spent nearly an hour in the spin nets against the five-pronged attack of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy and Abhishek Sharma, and came away having flexed their restrained shoulders.

The two took turns playing the five spinners in nine-ball blocks, and relentlessly attempted scoring shots around the ground. Both accessed the straight boundary for sixes and also frequently went inside out. Gautam Gambhir watched from behind the nets and spoke to Tilak, using gestures between balls when the batter's attempted big shots through the off-side lacked the necessary distance.

Abhishek was the one bowler they stepped out against every time, while they reached for big shots against anyone who bowled full. But the two also unfurled cuts and pulls against length deliveries, avoiding getting stuck in the crease. How well they carry this eagerness into Thursday and beyond could significantly affect India's fate in the tournament.

Suryakumar recently laughed off a question about breaking up the left-handed dominant top-three and reintroducing Sanju Samson. But after the loss to South Africa, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate seemed more open to the idea of tweaks.

"These guys have done it all before. They're all fantastic players. So, do you stick or twist? We stick with the guys who we feel have performed really well over the last 18 months and who are maybe shy of a few runs now? Or do we twist and bring Sanju, who's also a fantastic player and obviously helps tactically with having a right hander at the top of the order? I'm sure that'll be a talking point over the next few days going into these two very important games," ten Doeschate offered.

While Tilak and Suryakumar looked to weed out their issues against spin, Samson batted in tandem with Ishan Kishan in the fast bowlers' nets and came through well. There was still a trigger movement that has held him back recently, but the shots came nonetheless, flying over the shorter square boundary from the nets he batted in. That session also went on for close to an hour before the two sets of batters switched.

India habitually bat their first-choice players two days from a fixture, and often in the right order. But Abhishek also padded up and hit it out in the second half of India's session, with Gambhir once again offering insights from behind. After the opener was done, India's middle order lined up, with Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar all getting a hit.

Rinku Singh, who too has had starting troubles against spin, was absent from this otherwise packed session, reported to have returned home due to a family emergency. His unavailability might just open up a spot for India to find tactical variations.

Considering how they batted against South Africa in Ahmedabad and the consistently sticky nature of surfaces, would it be really out of character if India added to their top-order heft by including Samson? Or they could feature both Axar and Washington, and revert to using the former as a situational floater like they'd done before.

When they sit down to decide what to do, India will realise that there are several ways to skin this cat. Whatever option they eventually land on, they'll hope it only enhances their problem-solving reputation.