Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Krunal Pandya(PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak) BENGALURU: Nearly 15 years ago, on matting wickets in Palej, a small town in Gujarat’s Bharuch district, a lanky youngster learnt the value of adaptation. Bowling with coated balls in local village tournaments, he quickly realised there would be little assistance for spin and survival depended on discipline,…

R Praggnanandhaa’s invisible second Vaibhav Suri (Photo by Michal Walusza) NEW DELHI: FIDE Master (FM) Prasenjit Dutta, a man whose life has been a series of tactical gambles and late-game recoveries, runs a renowned academy in the heart of New Delhi. For years, he followed a predictable ritual. Whenever a particularly gifted student walked through…