India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 Final Predicted Playing 11: Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy OUT, Sanju Samson set to…, Mohammed Siraj, Rinku Singh may…
India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 Final: Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav may have to take some brave calls for the title clash against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Suryakumar Yadav (right) with head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. (Photo: IANS)
India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 Final Predicted 11: Defending champions Team India have history on their doorstep as they take on New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Suryakumar Yadav's side have a couple of major headaches and ironically it's related to the world No. 1-ranked T20I batter and bowler Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy.
Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek has only scored 89 runs in six game in the tournament so far, including hat-trick of ducks to start the T20 World Cup 2026. In fact, 55 out of those 89 runs came in one innings against Zimbabwe in the Super 8 match. More than the lack of runs, Abhishek's lack of confidence heading into the final is what will be concerning to the Indian side.
Indian skipper wasn't too concerned about the form of his batter, although they have struggled against off-spinners with Abhishek falling to Will Jacks in the second over of the semifinal against England. If Abhishek Sharma is dropped, Rinku Singh can slot back in the middle-order with Ishan Kishan India's leading run-scorer in the tournament returning to opening position with in-form Sanju Samson.
"There is no problem to the team. We do have conversations sometimes, but we don't pay attention to it. 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, you saw that two lefties went in. An off-spinner was playing, but Ishan batted well against him, even Dube also and also Tilak Verma," Suryakumar Yadav said in the pre-match press conference in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
The other grey area is with India's lead spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who conceded a massive 64 runs in 4 overs with England's Jacob Bethell charged him from ball one. Chakravarthy may be India's leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets in 8 matches but he has also been the most expensive with economy-rate of more than 8.8 runs per over.
"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 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," Suryakumar Yadav said backing Varun Chakravarthy.
But looking at the Ahmedabad pitch, which tends to help 'hit-the-deck' bowlers as opposed to conventional spinner, Indians might be tempted to bring back Mohammed Siraj or give Kuldeep Yadav a run as well.
In the pre-match training session on Saturday, it was Kuldeep Yadav who got an extended bowl at the Narendra Modi Stadium while Chakravarthy spent most of the time on the sidelines. It will be interesting to see if India will be bold enough to take these huge calls ahead of the final.
Mitchell Santner's New Zealand, on the other hand, will also consider bolstering their bowling by bring in Jacob Duffy in place of all-rounder James Neesham, who conceded 42 runs in 3 overs against South Africa in the semifinal.
India vs New Zealand ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Final Predicted 11
India: Abhishek Sharma/Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy/Kuldeep Yadav/Mohammed Siraj
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham/Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson
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