Bharat Arun backs Varun Chakaravarthy for World Cup final, urges attacking mindset

Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has strongly advocated for retaining mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy in the playing XI for the World Cup final against New Zealand, dismissing calls for his omission.

On Chakaravarthy's Role
Arun was emphatic when asked if Chakaravarthy should be dropped: "No, no, no. He was brilliant in the past, wasn't he? Exceptional, in fact."

His advice for the spinner is clear: adopt an attacking approach. "Don't get defensive by bowling wide. When you try to bowl wide, it's not working. He has been effective when he's attacking the stumps. So attack the stumps."

Referencing Chakaravarthy's figures of 64 runs conceded in the semifinal against England, Arun argued, "He might as well attack. He's not going to give away more than 64 runs anyway. But at least he will have an opportunity to get a wicket."

Sticking to Strengths
Arun is against the idea of replacing Chakaravarthy with Kuldeep Yadav. He believes the key is for the spinner to trust his method.

"Somebody should talk to him and tell him, 'Varun, you stick to your strength. Don't deviate from that. Your strength is attacking the wicket.' Most of his victims are either LBW or bowled. What does that mean? It means he's attacking the stumps. Why move away from that?"

The Boxing Analogy
Arun drew a parallel with boxing to illustrate his point on mindset. "It's like a boxing match. When you go into the ring saying, 'I don't want to get hit,' you'll end up taking the maximum number of hits. When you say, 'I want to knock this guy out,' you may still get hit, but at least you'll land good punches. It's a mindset thing. It's the same with bowling. If you try to escape, you'll get hit more. Whereas when I try to attack, I may still get hit, but I may at least get a wicket."

He pointed to Chakaravarthy dismissing Jos Buttler as evidence. "When you keep hitting the stumps, okay, they may hit one six, two sixes, but the third one they are bound to miss. Then you win – they get out."

Tournament Context
Chakaravarthy has taken 13 wickets in the tournament with an economy rate of 8.85.

Praise for Bumrah, Advice for Others
Arun reserved high praise for Jasprit Bumrah's match-winning spell against England. "I think Bumrah has made a difference. He has bailed out India time and again with his brilliance."

He highlighted Bumrah's 18th over, where he conceded just six runs when England needed 45 off the final three overs, as the "biggest turning point."

However, Arun cautioned against over-reliance and predictability. "Others also need to chip in. Otherwise India becomes predictable. If you look at Arshdeep Singh, he's bowling only wide yorkers. It's okay to bowl wide yorkers, but you should also mix them up with stump yorkers."

He explained the tactical advantage: "Wide yorkers allow the batters to free their arms. Whereas stump yorkers, if executed well, the batter would not have that liberty. Mixing them creates an element of doubt."

Assessment of India's Bowling Attack
Arun gave a nuanced rating of India's bowling performance in the World Cup. "In terms of potential, the attack has been great. But when they have been challenged, it has been very tough for them. Very few have risen to the occasion. Bumrah, of course, has been exceptional."

He identified a pattern under pressure: "When they are really under the hammer, they look short of ideas. When the going is good, it looks fantastic. But under pressure, they seem to run out of ideas. They should stick to their strengths. Challenge the batter with your strengths."

Arun concluded with a fundamental principle: "In this game, either you execute really well or you keep the batter guessing. The minute you start going defensive, the batter also knows he has won the battle."