India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has not been in good form since the Super 8 phase of the T20 World Cup 2026, having claimed four scalps in as many matches while conceding runs at an economy rate of over 11.

Chakaravarthy was taken to the cleaners by England batters in the semifinal clash at the Wankhede Stadium, returning with the figures of 1/64 in four overs.

Hence, there has been suggestions about bringing in Kuldeep Yadav in place of Chakaravarthy for the all-important final against New Zealand, scheduled for Sunday (March 8) in Ahmedabad.

Ahead of the title clash, legendary spinner Anil Kumble opined that Chakaravarthy’s form is a ‘bit of a concern for India’ as it put extra pressure on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

“Yes, it is a bit of a concern for India because he’s been their go-to bowler, he’s been their wicket-taking bowler in the middle overs. Obviously, starts putting extra pressure on Jasprit Bumrah. So, it’s not easy when the opposition sort of now look at India and say okay, it’s only Jasprit Bumrah’s four overs that we need to be worried about, not necessarily Varun. Not easy from an Indian captain’s perspective,” Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo.

Former South African batter Faf du Plessis, who was also part of the panel discussion, reckons Chakaravarthy’s performance will decide how Suryakumar Yadav might be able to use his sixth bowling option in the final.

“Makes a difference in terms of that sixth bowling option. When you back your five bowlers, you’re hoping that they’re delivering in every match. And, these last two-three games, there’s a bit of concern around his form. So now, if you’re playing your match-ups really well, you can really expose that fourth and fifth bowler to bring someone as your sixth bowler in on the day.”

Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin weighed in on Varun Chakaravarthy’s struggles, saying the latter needs to be more tactical.

“What is happening with Varun is not that teams are attacking him or picking him. Everyone knows that Adil Rashid has a googly. This happens with every cricketer. But if this happens, you have to be tactical. You cannot miss the lengths. Line and length variations with speed variations are important. Varun has to be spoken to,” Ashwin said

“Every time he gets attacked upfront, the confidence is going down further, because he knows he is catching up. I am tired of saying this again and again. From the last few games, I am saying this. Do not bowl from round the wicket to the left-hander,” he added.