Varun Chakaravarthy is one of the reasons that India will be looking over their shoulders ahead of their T20 World Cup final against New Zealand at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Super Sunday.
Although all through the tournament so far Chakaravarthy has not looked his best, it’s his bowling Super 8s onwards that has got India super bothered. In his three Super 8 games and the semifinal against England earlier this week, his economy rate has been an alarming 11.6. And he has taken only four wickets to make matters worse. He has not appeared to have any Plan B. Once he has been hit for a couple of big shots, he has looked clueless. A frustrating sight by all means.
Despite suggestions from Anil Kumble, Chakaravarthy has continued to bowl into the batsmen, making him very predictable. Kumble has said it on record that the mystery spinner should also try to take the ball away from batsmen now and then.
It has to be said that Chakaravarthy’s place in the Playing XI of the final looks in grave danger at present. There is now talk that Kuldeep Yadav, who has the ability to spin the ball big, can replace Chakaravarthy.
What soil pitch awaits India?
This must be a big headache for India coach Gautam Gambhir. One thing is now sure that Chakaravarthy can’t be certain of a place anymore. What can decide whether or not he plays is the nature of the pitch. The Narendra Modi Stadium has three types of pitches, entirely made of red soil. entirely made of black soil, and then there are some with a mix of red and black soil.
The Wankhede Stadium where India beat England in their semifinal has red soil which often tends to support spinners but that too over time, not straight away. Considering it’s only 20 overs a side, Gambhir and company may decide to drop Chakaravarthy if they are given a red soil pitch again.
Fans would do well to remember that since it’s an ICC tournament, what kind of pitch is chosen for the match is solely the cricket governing body’s discretion. The mixed soil pitch is often considered more sporting, and if that is chosen, Gambhir might be totally convinced to drop Chakaravarthy.
If truth be told, dropping Chakaravarthy is not going to be easy whatever might be the nature or colour of the pitch. India have already made one change to their preferred line-up in the ongoing event. Sanju Samson wasn’t part of their initial Playing XIs, but he was later brought in at the expense of Rinku Singh. Abhishek Sharma’s lack of runs did play a role in that, make no mistake.
Anyway, Samson appears to be in the form of his life with match-winning 97* and 89 against West Indies and England respectively. Maybe another change in the bowling department can lead to similar results. But Kuldeep’s figures of 0/45 in the 2024 World T20 final against South Africa may also be at the back of the team management’s mind.
Phew! It’s a massive conundrum. As if Abhishek’s lack of runs wasn’t enough!
