New Zealand wary of Varun Chakaravarthy threat despite Indian spinner's poor run; ‘one game away from changing the tide’

Varun Chakaravarthy isn't having the best of the tournament lately but New Zealand aren't taking the Indian spinner lightly ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 final, set to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. One of the most potent threats currently in the world, Chakaravarthy took nine wickets in four group stage matches, conceding only 62 runs.

However, things took a different turn in the Super 8 stages for Chakaravarthy as the Tamil Nadu spinner gave away 186 runs with just four wickets to show at an average of 46.5. Despite his slump in form, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner isn't in mood to take the world no.1 bowler lightly. "No, I don't think so," Santner said when asked whether there will be a psychological advantage with Chakravarthy not in his elements.

"We have all seen how good he is. And I think the challenge for any bowler is when pitch is flat compared to how it looks like when it's spinning or seaming. But when it is flat, I think, everyone can go for 60 on such a day. I think he's got to know that he is still a very good bowler. You should know that you are only one game away from changing the tide," he added.

There is no doubt of what Chakravarthy can do on his given day, but according to former cricketers Irfan Pathan and Ravichandran Ashwin, someone in the team management should speak with the mystery spinner and let him be in his space ahead of the final. Chakravarthy's lean patch also put forward questions where the management should drop him in the final.

However, the former players were against the decision, the latest being ex-India bowling coach Bharat Arun. "No, no, no," Arun, who is currently the bowling coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Lucknow Super Giants, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. “He was brilliant in the past, wasn't he? Exceptional, in fact.”

Bharat Arun's advice for Varun Chakaravarthy

The 63-year-old also advised Chakaravarthy to not get too defensive by bowling wides and attack the stumps. "When you try to bowl wide, it's not working. He has been effective when he's attacking the stumps. So attack the stumps," said Arun. “Somebody should talk to him and tell him, 'Varun, you stick to your strength. Don't deviate from that. Your strength is attacking the wicket',” he added.

Varun Chakaravarthy's performance in Ahmedabad

The right-arm spinner had a good record at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the shortest format of the game. In three matches so far at this venue, Chakaravarthy has taken eight wickets in three games, including a four-wicket haul against South Africa last year. In the ongoing T20 Word Cup, Chakaravarthy played two games in Ahmedabad, taking 3/14 (vs Netherlands) an 1/47 (vs South Africa).

Catch the live action of the T20 World Cup 2026 with the complete T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule, and the T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table. Also, know who are currently leading the charts for Most Runs in T20 World Cup 2026 and Most Wickets in T20 World Cup 2026.