Phillips plots India’s downfall, says NZ ready for Bumrah, Varun twin threat

Ahmedabad: For Glenn Phillips, the road to beating India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final begins with negotiating two bowlers capable of shaping the contest — Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy.

As New Zealand prepare to walk into the cauldron of the Narendra Modi Stadium, where more than 100,000 spectators are expected, Phillips offered a glimpse into the tactical thinking within the Kiwi camp. His focus was less on the magnitude of the occasion and more on the craft required to counter India’s most potent weapons.

India’s attack offers multiple threats, but Phillips repeatedly returned to two names — Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner who can strangle the middle overs, and Bumrah, the master of death bowling.

“We’ve played him quite a few times in the past now, which is helpful,” Phillips said of Chakravarthy. “But he’s an incredible bowler and we just try to face it one ball at a time.”

Chakravarthy’s strength lies in ambiguity — subtle variations in speed, wrist position and trajectory that make him difficult to read even for experienced batters.

Phillips suggested that against bowlers of that kind, clarity of thought matters more than reckless aggression. “Obviously he’s allowed to have a good day. But we’re also allowed to have a good day,” he said.

The remark reflected New Zealand’s measured approach. Phillips, who often arrives around the 10th over, has built a reputation for dismantling spin with raw power. Yet against Chakravarthy, brute force alone is rarely enough.

Patience, instead, becomes the currency — absorbing pressure and waiting for the rare loose ball. If Chakravarthy is the puzzle through the middle overs, Bumrah represents the storm at the end.

Fresh from a decisive spell in India’s semifinal win over the England cricket team, Bumrah remains one of the most formidable death bowlers in world cricket. “Bumrah is a fantastic bowler. He’s got so many variations and he hits the blockhole incredibly well,” Phillips said.

But the New Zealand all-rounder also hinted at the strategy his side may adopt, pointing to England’s approach against Bumrah in the semifinal.

“The way the England boys played him yesterday was to try and take the overs as deep as possible,” Phillips observed.

The logic is simple: keep wickets in hand until the closing stages so that if Bumrah misses his length even slightly, batters can capitalise.