Ahmedabad, March 7 (IANS) As defending champion India get ready for a second successive final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where they will face New Zealand, concerns are being raised over the recent poor performance of mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who conceded 1-64 in four overs in the semifinal against England.

But on the eve of the summit clash, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav dismissed concerns over his most potent weapon and the highest-ranked bowler in ICC T20 Rankings. The figures of 1-64 in the semifinal are the most expensive Varun has ever been in a T20I match, and he had figures of 1-40 in the previous match against the West Indies. The mystery spinner seems to have gone off the boil after claiming nine wickets in the league phase,

“There is nothing to worry about. We have won the match. It’s a team sport. Everyone gives their best. It’s a collective effort; only then do you win. Once we win the match, we don’t think much about anyone. But the team keeps moving up and down. There are 11 players. Everyone’s day won’t be good. Everyone can go up and down. The rest are there to cover. I am not worried about that. He is the world’s number one bowler. He is a world-class bowler and knows how to win matches. He will definitely do that,” Suryakumar Yadav said in the pre-match press conference in Ahmedabad on

The Indian captain said they are now much worried about the Indian batters’ struggle against off-spin bowling (India have lost 15 wickets to off-spin) and said they have not discussed this so far.

“We haven’t discussed it at all. If we are playing the final with a strike rate of 120, then I will prefer to play with a strike rate of 120. There is no problem with the team. We do have conversations sometimes, but we don’t pay attention to them. On a given day, if a batter does well against a bowler, at that time, it is important to go into the field and bat and meet the team’s requirements. We are doing that.

“In the last game (against England), you saw that two lefties went in. An off-spinner was playing, but Ishan batted well against him, even Dube, and also Tilak Verma. So, there are not that many conversations. That too, at this stage, I don’t think we should think so much. Now, if two spinners come in the final tomorrow, we will have to play them – we can’t leave it and come back. So, we will handle it tomorrow,” said Suryakumar Yadav.

Yadav, who won the title under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in 2024, will be captaining the team in the final for the first time, and that too on home soil, which is a special feeling. He admitted there will be some butterflies in the tummy when they step onto the turf for the final, but added that there won’t be any fun without pressure.

“I mean, it’s obviously a special feeling that I’m going to lead tomorrow, and as I said, leading such a wonderful side into a final. That too on home soil. It is always a special feeling. Very excited. Of course, there are nerves. There will be butterflies in the stomach, but as I always say, where there is no pressure, no fun. I am also very excited, and all the boys and support staff, everyone. I am sure the whole of India is excited for tomorrow.

“We just want to keep everything very simple, not too complicated. We have been trying to do a lot of good things, trying to continue the same things. I think six years has been a very long journey for me. As I said, again, leading India, that too in such a big event, a big occasion. I am very happy. Very happy for my family, also everyone. So, yeah, very excited,” said the 35-year-old from Mumbai, who is considered the leading batter in this format in the world.

Asked about his process to handle pressure, Suryakumar said it is all about staying calm in tight situations.

“I think handling pressure is all about how calm you are in tight situations. For example, I think, I know it’s not that easy, but then when you are in your practice sessions, when you are training, at that time, if you put a lot of pressure on yourself, taking those difficult catches, batting in the different situations, thinking about that, like mentally being ready in practice sessions.

“When you go into the game, you know you have done all these things before in practice. So all these things are really important. And obviously talking to each other, this feels like a proper family, so you can turn up to any player, any support staff, because even the support staff have been in similar situations before when they have played this game of cricket. So talking to each other, I think, helps a lot to be very calm, to be very composed, and that’s how one takes a positive call because two people or one guy who is bowling, they are the best judge of what needs to be done when they are on the ground, when they are batting or bowling. So that time, I think a positive call is always a better option to be taken, and that’s what we’ve been following,” said the Indian captain.

–IANS

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