Former English great Michael Atherton has opined that Varun Chakravarthy has been useless if the pitch has not offered any help for him. He also backed the idea of India bringing in Kuldeep Yadav as his replacement ahead of the final.
India have reached the finals of the ICC T20 World Cup, and they are the first team to have done so as the defending champions of the competition. Hence, after this big milestone, more is expected from the Men in Blue side as they take on the White Ferns at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
India lost their last final at this very venue; hence, they would be eyeing to tighten all their screws before stepping onto the big stage. Varun Chakravarthy and Abhishek, who were once India's assets in the T20Is, have now slipped out of form.
Former England great Michael Atherton has pointed out that Team India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been lacking form to the core, especially after India qualified for the Super 8s. He is currently India's highest wicket-taker in the competition with 13 wickets.
However, it is worth mentioning that nine of those 13 scalps came in the group stages and only 4 wickets have come in their last four appearances, which also included a game against Zimbabwe and a clash in his second home ground at the Eden Gardens.
Recently, Varun Chakravarthy's economy has gone as high as 8.85, and he recorded the worst-ever figures by an Indian bowler in the tournament's history, as he finished with a spell of 1/64 in his 4 overs against England in a World Cup semi-final.
"He has got a great reputation in T20. He took a bundle of wickets in the group stages, but from the Super 8s onwards, he has really struggled and was taken to the cleaners by England.
"If the pitch doesn't spin or hold for him, he is just looking a bit pedestrian. He is not getting the ball moving sideways off the straight, and of course, he is just a nice pace to hit," Atherton claimed while speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the T20 World Cup final.
"They have got Kuldeep Yadav," Michael Atherton calls for a change in India's Playing XI
The cricketer turned commentator also spoke about the chances for Kuldeep Yadav, the other spinner in the Indian side, who has not been handed many chances this tournament.
His only outing came against Pakistan when India played with three spinners on the tracks of the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. He bowled three overs, giving away just 14 runs and picked up a wicket of Mohammad Nawaz.
"They may think about changing. They have got Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist spinner, that they could bring in. It would be unusual for a team to make a big change in the final. Once you get to the final, you tend to stick with the players that you have got you there. But it is not without question that they might change," he mentioned.
Nasser Hussain blocks a change in India's combination before the finals
Another former England great, Nasser Hussain, has boldly predicted that not much spin would be expected at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which clearly means that Abhishek Sharma can get going if he handles the off-spin threat wisely.
"Not for a big game. I certainly wouldn't change the opener in Abhishek Sharma because he is someone that could just click on the evening, if he gets over the off-spin; that has been his nemesis," remarked Hussain during the same discussion with Sky Sports.
It is worth noting that Abhishek has just 89 runs in 7 matches and averages just below 13. He also continued saying that since Chakravarthy is thrashed on tracks that do not offer help for spinners, India can go on to try the experience of former World Cup winner Kuldeep Yadav.
"But Kuldeep, maybe, because I don't think this pitch is going to spin," the former English captain opined.
ALSO READ: India Playing XI for T20 World Cup 2026 final announced, Abhishek Sharma's fate sealed
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