New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI): Former India cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has described New Zealand openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert as the most explosive and consistent opening pair in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Chopra said that their aggressive approach could pose a serious challenge for Indian bowlers during the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Chopra praised the New Zealand duo for their destructive performances at the top of the order, particularly against teams like South Africa and the UAE, where they dominated opposition bowling attacks with attacking strokeplay.

'Finn Allen and Tim Seifert are the most explosive openers in this tournament thus far, and also the most consistent. They annihilated South Africa and decimated the UAE. I feel Finn Allen has a bit more in terms of pure class because if you give him width, it is almost impossible to stop him. If you keep bowling in that outside off channel, he will keep hammering you. The good thing is that he also plays with a straight bat, so he has more arrows in his quiver. He has a slightly wider range, and he is dangerous,' Chopra said.

Chopra also suggested a possible strategy for bowlers to counter Allen's attacking style. According to the former India opener, bowlers should avoid offering width outside the off stump and instead keep their deliveries tighter around the stumps.

'The way to stop him is probably by trying to finish everything within the stumps. Axar Patel, and maybe Varun Chakaravarthy a little later, should just keep finishing within the stumps. Because he is a very wristy player, that approach works for faster bowlers, but against spin, you could possibly deceive him a little,' Chopra added.

On his advice to Varun Chakaravarthy, the cricketer-turned-commentator said, 'Just look at his speeds in general, mid-90s is still okay. That is Varun Chakaravarthy's operating pace, finishing within the stumps and bowling a little fuller means that if you miss, he is definitely hitting. In fact, over the last year and a half, he has gone a lot slower as well.'

Chopra further added, 'He has been in the late 80s a few times. But in this World Cup, especially in the last game, I remember that out of the 24 balls he bowled, I think nine were above 100, and one was around 111. That is like Hardik Pandya's slower one. That tells you that he is feeling the pressure a bit right now. There is just one more game left, and one night can actually change your fortunes. I would still back him, but he needs to bowl a little slower. He is going too fast.'

Coming to both teams' T20 WC 2026 campaigns, India and New Zealand took different routes to the T20 World Cup 2026 final.

New Zealand recovered from group-stage losses to South Africa and England to dominate the semifinals, chasing down 170 against South Africa with a nine-wicket win in 12.5 overs, highlighted by Finn Allen's 33-ball century--the fastest in T20 World Cup history.

India, unbeaten in the group stage except for a Super 8s loss to South Africa, secured a thrilling seven-run semi-final win over England, after posting 253/7 in the first innings of the match.

While New Zealand have historically never lost to India in T20 World Cups (2007, 2016, 2021), India's recent 4-1 T20I series win over the Black Caps in India gives the hosts the momentum heading into the final. (ANI)