“Don’t see him playing” – Aakash Chopra’s massive prediction on star spinner ahead of 4th NZ vs IND 2026 T20I

Former opener Aakash Chopra doesn’t see Varun Chakravarthy finding a place in the playing XI in Auckland even though India have already won the series. Chopra stated that India are unlikely to compromise on the extra batter, adding that dropping a pacer to accommodate a spinner would also not make sense given the conditions on offer.

Leg-spinner Chakravarthy and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav have not played a single match in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand owing to the pace-friendly conditions. The Men in Blue have gone in with a combination of three pacers and three all-rounders.

During a discussion on Cricinfo, Chopra opined that he does not see Chakravarthy featuring in the Indian playing XI in the fourth T20I in Auckland. Giving his reasons for the same, he explained:

“I want him to play these two games, but a fast bowler will have to be benched. Even if these are dead rubbers, India is not going to compromise a batter at eight for an out-and-out bowler. Will a fast bowler go out, though? Because we are at the Eden Park. There are very short straight boundaries. We will have a decent amount of grass coverage on the surface. And there is a bit of help for the faster bowlers. So three fast bowlers, then it becomes a must.

“I don’t see him playing. He’s not played anything. Unless you are okay to compromise that number eight slot for the batter, Varun might still not play,” Chopra went on to add.

Chakravarthy was picked in the Indian T20I squad for the ongoing series after recovering from a side strain he suffered during the T20I series against Afghanistan in September, which ruled him out of the one-off T20I against Japan and the Asian Games 2026.

How India’s bowlers have fared in the NZ vs IND 2026 T20I series so far

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh is India’s leading wicket-taker in the T20I series against New Zealand after three matches. He has picked up four wickets at an average of 27.75 and an economy rate of 9.25.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel has claimed two wickets at an average of 57.50 and an economy rate of 9.58. Nitish Kumar Reddy has also picked up two wickets at an economy rate of 9.91, while Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have claimed one scalp each.

Edited by Renin Wilben Albert