Conceding the element of risk in tackling Varun Chakravarthy, New Zealand coach Gary Stead felt that the mystery spinner will be a “big threat” in Sunday’s ICC Champions Trophy final, and the Kiwis need to put on their “thinking caps” to negate his effectiveness.

Chakravathy caught the BlackCaps off guard in the final Group A game of the tournament last week, as he ran through New Zealand’s top order, claiming figures of 5 for 52, and dented the Kiwis’ chase by picking the key wickets of Will Young, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner, as India successfully defended 249 in Dubai.

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Varun was in fine form against Australia in the semi-final as well. He picked up the crucial wicket of Travis Head and finished with figures of 2 for 49.

Having already played a game in Dubai, New Zealand will be better prepared to handle the sluggish conditions expected on Sunday. But Stead felt that his side must be better prepared in facing the Tamil Nadu spinner.

“We certainly expect him to play after getting 5/42 against us in the last game. He’s a class bowler, and showed his skills against us last time and he’s a big threat in the game,” Stead said on Friday.

“So we’ll be putting our thinking caps on around how we nullify that and how we can still score runs against him,” he added.

In that context, Stead said the Kiwis will look to take some cues from their earlier encounter. He also played down concerns around India’s familiarity with the conditions in Dubai.

“The decision around that’s (the schedule) out of our hands, so it’s not something we worry about too much. India have got to play all their games here in Dubai, but we have had a game here and we’ll learn very quickly from that experience.”

“So when you come to this stage of the tournament, I mean, we’ve had eight teams at the start, we’re down to two now. It’s always exciting to be in this situation and from our perspective, it just comes to a one-off game now and if we’re good enough to beat India on Sunday, then I will be happy,” he explained.

While India got the better of Australia in the first semifinal, held in Dubai on Tuesday, Rohit Sharma and Co had the luxury of playing all their matches in one venue.

New Zealand, however, had to shuttle between Pakistan and Dubai for their final group stage match, the semifinal against South Africa and eventually for the final in Dubai.

Stead admitted it was a bit hectic but said his side was good enough to adjust to such schedules.

“There’s no doubt that coming here off playing Lahore and we had a full day of travel yesterday, then it just takes it out of you a little bit, but we’ve got a couple of days now of a little bit of recovery and planning and training towards the game.”

Gearing up for their first Champions Trophy final since 2009, Stead believes that it is more about co-ordination of mind and body rather than excessive training.

“I guess we’re deep into the tournament now and sometimes it’s not always a lot of training that you need, it’s just getting your body and your mind right to compete in the final and that will be our key focus over the next two days,” he said.

Injured Henry a doubtful starter

New Zealand’s front-line pacer, Matt Henry, faces a challenge to be fit for the Champions Trophy final due to a shoulder injury sustained during the semi-final against South Africa in Lahore. Henry, who is currently the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, injured his shoulder while taking a catch to dismiss Heinrich Klaasen at the boundary.

While Kiwi skipper Mitchell Santner remained confident about Henry’s availability immediately following the match on Wednesday, Stead provided a more cautious update, revealing that Henry’s fitness was still uncertain with less than 48 hours remaining before the final.

“The positive is that he (Henry) managed to get back out there and bowl. We’ve had some scans done, and we’ll give him every chance to play in the final. However, at this stage, it’s still a bit unclear.”

“He’s obviously quite sore from landing on the point of his shoulder. Hopefully, he will be okay.”

With 10 wickets at an average of 16.70 across four innings in the tournament, Henry has embraced his role as the pace spearhead for New Zealand, including a five-wicket haul in the group-stage match against India in Dubai.

Should Henry be ruled out of the final, New Zealand have a ready replacement in right-arm seamer Jacob Duffy, who is part of the squad.

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