Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav strongly backed spinner Varun Chakravarthy ahead of the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand, despite his recent struggles. Suryakumar expressed full confidence in the ‘world’s number one bowler’ to perform.
Suryakumar backs struggling Chakravarthy ahead of final
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav backed India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and expressed strong support for him ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand, on Sunday, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Chakravarthy has struggled since the Super 8s, taking four wickets in four matches at an economy rate of 11+. His semi-final outing against England was disastrous as in 4 overs he gave away 64 runs, his worst T20I figures and India’s worst in a World Cup match. Yet, Suryakumar stood by him, emphasising team effort and trusting Chakravarthy to bounce back.
Suryakumar was speaking to the reporters on the eve of India’s T20 World Cup title defence against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Saturday. “We won the match. It’s a team sport, everyone puts in the effort, that’s why you win the match. If we win the match, we don’t think much about anyone. There are 11 people in the team. Out of the 11 people, not everyone’s day will be good. Someone’s day can go up and down. The rest of the people are there to cover it. But I’m not worried about him at all. He’s the world’s number one bowler and knows how to come forward in a match and win the match for the team, and I know he’ll definitely do that,” he said.
Chakravarthy’s struggles in recent matches haven’t overshadowed his tournament stats; he’s the joint top wicket-taker with 13 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 19.07, including a standout 3/7 vs Namibia in the group stages fixture.
‘Experience matters a lot’: Suryakumar
Suryakumar also highlighted the value of experience in the team, citing the coach Gautam Gambhir and senior pros Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel, who’ve handled ICC event pressure. He believes their experience will be crucial for the team. “The benefit is huge. Because there are a lot of players in this team who have played in a lot of ICC events. Right from our coach. So their experience is also important. And there are a lot of players, like Bumrah, Hardik, Axar, there are a lot of players who have played in ICC events, in pressure situations. So I think it will be a lot of help to have conversations with them. And according to me, experience matters a lot going into such a lovely occasion. I think it will matter the most,” he added.
Contrasting paths to the final
India and New Zealand took contrasting paths to the final; they entered the contest on the back of strong batting performances in the semi-final. New Zealand lost to South Africa in the group stage and to England in the Super Eights, but were dominant in the final four. After restricting the Proteas to 169/8, New Zealand raced to a nine-wicket win in 12.5 overs, courtesy of a stunning 33-ball hundred by Finn Allen, the fastest in T20 World Cups. Meanwhile, for India, who were perfect in the group stage, the only blip was the loss to South Africa in the opening Super Eight contest. The semi-final against England was a high-scoring thriller, with India piling on 253/7 and England falling just seven runs short.
Head-to-head record
In their head-to-head clashes, history may favour New Zealand, but form is with India. The Black Caps have not lost a match to India in the T20 World Cup, having scored victories in 2007, 2016 and 2021. However, the host nation was dominant in their recent T20I series in India, with a comfortable 4-1 win. (ANI)
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