Stead on Varun CV: "We'll Be Putting Our Thinking Caps On":

The story goes that Tamborine Mountain's Jeff Thomson would cause spectators and rivals to chant 'Thommo! Thommo!' when he started his run-up. This was due to the fearsome bolts of speed yes Thomson, the man widely regarded as the fastest bowler to ever step foot on a cricketing pitch, would unleash. Such was the level of respect Australia’s cricketer received and commanded during his era.

Equally, if not more, hyped seems to be around whether or not Varun Chakaravarthy will fully live up to his persona. He unlike Thommo is not a speedster but has established a rather terrifying reputation for himself during this Champions Trophy. He might not be a household name yet but if Chakaravarthy continues down this path, it won’t be long before fans are chanting 'Varun! Varun!'.

That would admittedly be quite an achievement given Chakaravarthy is still looking to play through three ODIs and a total of 21 international features during what is still a semi-fresh Indian career. Regardless of the numbers, he seems to be the centerpiece of the conversation before the Champions Trophy final between India and New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DIC).

“Look, we obviously anticipate him playing after he toasted us for 5 and 42 in the last game and, uh, I guess we will be in some way planning our,” said New Zealand coach Gary Stead. It's more than likely that New Zealand are working around the strategies of Chakaravarthy's deliveries - the ones that turn and those that do not.

Chakaravarthy was added to the Indian squad for the third league game with New Zealand in the Indian lineup, as both teams were already confirmed for the semifinals. He showcased his skill with the wrong'un, carrom balls, and top-spinners. His five wickets transformed the game making India able to defend a below par score of 249.

“Without a doubt, he is a class bowler. He certainly displayed his talent against us during the last encounter, and he remains one of the most, if not the most, significant threats in the game. So, we are going to be thinking hard on how we can neutralize that and still manage to get some runs off him,” said Stead. “I think with a wrist spinner, as a batsman you are cueing up to look for those pointers. And I think daylight always makes it easier to see those things.”

The hint that New Zealand would consider batting first, if given an option, was clearly delivered by the coach. Stead expanded more on the Chakaravarthy impact and who from his lineup could challenge him in the finale. “To me, the wicket we played on for the first game is quite different to the semifinal with Australia, so I guess it is something we need to read on the day and adapt to what is happening in the match.”

“But, yeah, like I said, all our batsmen have their plans on how they intend to counter them, and after that it comes down to, I guess, relaying good messages in the middle and of course, some valiant decisions to take those options on.”

Without a doubt, we take up that challenge and we await what India has to offer, and they do have four very good spinners.”

Chakaravarthy had figures of 2 for 49 for Australia in the semifinal match they played in Dubai on Tuesday (March 4). One of Chakaravarthy's victims was the very dangerous Travis Head, and Chakaravarthy got him in his first over when the batter normally tried to attack. Chakaravarthy has done enough before the final to make the New Zealanders think a lot.

This speaks volumes about the faith of the Indian selectors and the captain Rohit Sharma, who went for an additional spinner instead of a middle-order specialist batter Jaiswal. With his feats, Chakaravarthy is validating that confidence.