India captain Rohit Sharma has rejected claims that his team is enjoying an undue "advantage" by playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai.
The 2025 Champions Trophy, originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan, adopted a hybrid model after India had refused to travel to Pakistan for their matches due to strained bilateral relations. India are playing all their matches in Dubai, a decision met with skepticism from former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton. They argued that India have an "undeniable advantage" by avoiding travel and playing all games at a single venue.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of India’s semi-final against Australia on Tuesday (March 4), Rohit emphasised that though the nature of the pitches at the Dubai International Stadium was the same, the wickets had presented unique challenges in each match they played.
Rohit: This is new for us too
"No, look, the three matches we played, the nature of the surface was the same. But in all three games, the pitch has behaved differently," Rohit said.
37.3 overs of spin against New Zealand.
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) March 3, 2025
This is the third-most overs of spin bowled by India in an ODI.
Check the full list here ➡️ https://t.co/9lSbvxqCQT pic.twitter.com/ODy2BedV18
He added: "In the semi-final, we don't know which pitch is going to be played. Yes, we don't know which pitch is going to be played in the semi-final. But whatever happens, we have to adapt and see what is happening. We will play on that. This is not our home, this is Dubai. So, we don't play so many matches here. This is new for us too."
Rohit cited the example of India's final group match against New Zealand on Sunday (February 2) to back his statement
"Today (against New Zealand), we saw that when the bowlers were bowling, their ball was seaming and swinging a little. We didn't see that in the first two games when our bowlers were bowling. And in the evening, it's a little cold in the air. So, there are obviously a lot of chances of that swing. We know this. But the three games we played, there are four or five surfaces that are being used."
"So, every surface has a different nature. We don't know which wicket will be played. The pitches look the same, but when you play on it, it's played in a different way. So, you can't go thinking that we played like this yesterday, and today we'll play like this. Every time, because of the different pitches, the pitch is giving you different challenges as a batsman. We have to think about whether it's necessary to play these shots or not.
"When the bowler is bowling, we saw a little spin today. We didn't see that much spin in the last game. So, there are different things happening on every surface. So, we know what is going to happen on this pitch and what's not. Even for us, it is a little bit of a question mark as to which pitch is being played. Because there are four or five surfaces that are being used here," Rohit concluded.
Before the India-New Zealand game, Group B semi-finalists Australia and South Africa traveled to Dubai, uncertain of their opponents. Once India secured the top spot in Group A, South Africa flew back to Lahore along with New Zealand to play the second semi-final on Wednesday (March 5). India, meanwhile, have not had to travel to any other venue.
