India To Drop World No. 1 Star For T20 World Cup Final vs New Zealand? Training Session Raises 'Mystery'
India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday brushed aside any concerns about the form of Varun Chakravarthy, but the intrigue over the mystery spinner's spot in the playing XI for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand refused to die down
India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday brushed aside any concerns about the form of Varun Chakravarthy, but the intrigue over the mystery spinner's spot in the playing XI for the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand refused to die down on the eve of the summit clash in Ahmedabad. With Kuldeep Yadav waiting in the wings, the team's final combination remains a talking point even as the skipper insisted that there was no anxiety within the camp regarding Chakravarthy's returns in the tournament. "There are no concerns regarding Varun's form. We have won the match due to collective effort, and once you have won a match, you shouldn't overthink," Suryakumar replied when asked if there was any worry about the spinner going for plenty in recent games.
"If you have 11 players, not everyone will perform on each day. There will be ups and downs, and there are others to cover for that person.
"I have no worries about Varun as he is a World No. 1 bowler, he knows how to raise his game on big occasions and win it for his team, and I am sure he will definitely win the final for us," Suryakumar added, talking up his colleague like any captain would.
But at the training session, there was no definitive way of confirming that Chakravarthy could take his place for granted.
At the session, Chakravarthy kept largely to himself. The Tamil Nadu spinner did some single-wicket bowling with bowling coach Morne Morkel watching closely from behind the nets.
All this while, Suryakumar, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar were engaged in a chat a short distance away, standing on the match strip.
After a while, Chakravarthy walked back and quietly sat on a blue ice box, observing the proceedings as Kuldeep and Tilak Varma took turns bowling in the adjacent net.
The intrigue surrounding his spot continues as Chakravarthy has gone at nearly nine runs per over in the competition - 8.85 to be precise - including being smashed for 64 runs against England in one of the games.
However, replacing him with Kuldeep may not be a straightforward call either.
The wrist-spinner has played only one game in the tournament, and Daryl Mitchell has historically enjoyed a favourable match-up against him, at least in ODIs.
The same holds true for Glenn Phillips, which adds another tactical layer to India's selection puzzle.
Asked if India could ring in changes for the title clash, Suryakumar chose to keep his cards close to the chest.
"See that for yourself tomorrow. It seems you want to know everything today," he said with a smile
India Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team