Santner: 'New Zealand's Performance Against Varun Will Only Make Them Stronger'

The India team boasts a lineup of seasoned players that the New Zealand men's side will undoubtedly have on their radar in the Champions Trophy final. However, it is a relatively inexperienced player who may pose a significant threat to New Zealand's batters.

Varun Chakravarthy has played all of three ODIs, but in that stretch, he has got eight wickets, and averages 18.12. By far his best haul came against New Zealand, in these teams' final group match, when on a big-turning track, he claimed 5 for 42, with several New Zealand batters unable to pick him.

In fact it's not only New Zealand's own batters. On Friday evening, two days out from the final, Chakravarthy was even seen bamboozling no less a player than Virat Kohli in the nets at the ICC Academy. Chakravarthy had followed up his five-for against New Zealand with another solid outing against Australia, on a track less given to spin, in the semi-final. He took 2 for 49 from 10 overs.

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Having seen him once already could make it easier for the batters to handle him, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said on the eve of the final.

"I think guys will be better for the run against Varun. He's obviously a world-class bowler we've seen it here and in the IPL. He's got that little bit of mystery. But it was the first time some of the guys have been facing him. I think they'll learn from the other day."

Santner got a particularly vicious delivery from Chakravarthy in the group match, one that was flat and fast, and yet took substantial turn to take out his off stump.

Varun Chakravarthy picked up five wickets against New Zealand

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ICC via Getty Images

"If the pitch plays a similar way, it's going to be a challenge along with all three of their other spinners. I think the boys will be ready for tomorrow having looked at a little bit more footage. We know what his threats are now. That 115kph arm ball, that got me - that was a bit of a threat."

While Chakravarthy is India's top spin-bowling wicket-taker in the tournament, their other three spinners have also prospered on a turning Dubai track. Axar Patel has five wickets for the tournament, and Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have four each. They had been effective through the middle in that previous game against New Zealand.

"I think the way Axar and Jadeja denied us for a long time, it might be something similar again on a slow wicket, where it's as if you can kind of just rotate and hit the odd bad ball away, you can get yourself up to a decent score," Santner said.

"We've got some good players of spin and it's about them trying to just play their games and whether it's to get your broom out and sweep, or it's to use your feet, I guess we kind of give our players the freedom to play their own way."

New Zealand have their own quartet of spinners, in Santner himself, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra.

"On the flipside, it's the same with us. For us it's about trying to build pressure for a long period of time to produce a false shot."