The Indian cricket team has made it to the final of the T20 World Cup 2026. Team India will face New Zealand in the final match to be held on Sunday. The match will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Varun Chakraborty’s form has emerged as a big problem for India before the title match.
Is Varun’s mystery over?
Varun Chakraborty has gained popularity as a ‘mystery bowler’. Understanding his leg spin has been no less than a tough test for the batsmen. On the basis of his mysterious bowling, he has achieved great success in IPL and in the last two years also in international cricket. He is at first place in the ICC rankings in T20 format. Because of Varun, bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav are being kept out of the playing eleven, but the opposition bowlers have probably found the solution to Varun’s mysterious bowling in the T20 World Cup. Varun has taken 13 wickets in eight matches so far in the T20 World Cup 2026 tournament, but the effectiveness of his bowling has seemed to be decreasing in recent matches.
Varun was effective against small teams
Varun Chakraborty was effective against smaller teams in the group stage and took nine wickets in four matches, but as soon as he reached the Super-8, his charisma seemed to have ended. The batsmen of the opposition team are able to read his balls easily and are hitting them big without any problem. The semi-final against England was very disappointing and forgettable for Varun, who was expensive in three matches of Super-8 and took only three wickets. In the semi-finals, this right-arm spinner took one wicket for 64 runs in four overs. India’s match was stuck due to his ineffective bowling. In the same match, Jasprit Bumrah led the team by giving 33 runs in four overs. Earlier, in the important match against West Indies, Varun had given 40 runs in four overs, while against Zimbabwe also he had given 35 runs in four overs.
Only Suryakumar trusts Varun’s mystery.
Well, the Indian team has made it to the finals. Now it remains to be seen whether head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav retain Varun, who was completely ineffective in the last four matches, in the playing eleven of the final or give a chance to Kuldeep Yadav in his place. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has been continuously expressing confidence in Varun’s mystery spin. The team management believes that his unique bowling can spoil the rhythm of the opposition batsmen, especially against the middle order of New Zealand. Varun plays the role of aggressive bowling in the middle overs and can also bowl in the powerplay if needed. Apart from this, team management usually avoids making too many changes in the winning team.
Kuldeep is the best wrist spinner at present
Kuldeep Yadav may not have got a chance, but there is no doubt that he is the best wrist spinner at present. Kuldeep has experience of playing in big matches and has also led the Indian team to victory on his own. Therefore, it should not be a surprise to anyone if he gets a chance in place of Varun in the finals. Kuldeep, who has taken 95 wickets in 54 T20 matches, has played the only match against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026. He bowled well in this match and took one wicket for 14 runs in three overs. Kuldeep has a good record at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Even during the 2023 ODI World Cup, Kuldeep had bowled brilliantly in the middle overs on the same ground. His flight and turn can trouble the batsmen on big grounds.
Keep an eye on Abhishek Sharma also
Another interesting aspect regarding team selection is related to Abhishek Sharma. He has got more opportunities in this tournament, while his performance has not been as per expectations and he has scored only one half-century. In such a situation, the discussion is intense about the team combination before the final. His weakness against off-spin has been exposed by all. Since the match against Pakistan, Abhishek has been out in the same pattern. In such a situation, the team management will also keep an eye on this. However, once again confidence can be placed on Abhishek in the final.
Kiwi team can go without any changes
At the same time, the New Zealand team had achieved a resounding victory against South Africa. The. After restricting Africa to a low score, the team’s openers batted brilliantly. Tim Seifert and Finn Allen have come into form. Seifert scored a half-century and Allen scored a century. Apart from this, New Zealand has a good balance of spin and pacers. In such a situation, the New Zealand team can take the field without any changes. If we compare the spinners of both the teams, New Zealand’s spinners are more effective and have better variations. In such a situation, making spin pitch will be a danger for India.
Probable playing-11 of both the teams
India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shivam Dubey, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakraborty/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConkie, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.