'One game away from changing tide': NZ captain backs struggling Varun Chakravarthy ahead of T20 World Cup final

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said on Saturday that New Zealand are aware of the threat posed by Varun Chakravarthy ahead of the final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup against India, even though the spinner has not had a strong tournament so far.New Zealand will face India in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, with more than 100,000 fans expected at the venue.Chakravarthy has not had the same impact in this tournament so far as he has in the past, but Santner said the spinner remains a major threat and could change the game with one performance."No, I don't think so," Santner said when asked if New Zealand see an advantage with Chakravarthy not in the best of form.

"We have all seen how good he is. And I think the challenge for any bowler is when pitch is flat compared to how it looks like when it's spinning or seaming."But when it is flat, I think, everyone can go for 60 on such a day. I think he's got to know that he is still a very good bowler. You should know that you are only one game away from changing the tide."Santner added that conditions could play a role in how bowlers perform in the final.

He said flat pitches can make it difficult for bowlers, but one spell can still change the match."Yeah, I mean, I haven't had a look at the wicket yet. It is still under cover. But one can only assume it's going to be pretty flat and high scoring," the New Zealand captain said.He said restricting India to a manageable score will be important if the match turns into a high-scoring contest."And at the end of the day, if it's going to be flat, like it was the other night, trying to restrict India to 220 instead of 250, it might give us a good chance," Santner said.