Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma has rejected suggestions that his team enjoys an unfair advantage in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy due to playing all their matches in Dubai. Rohit clarified that despite playing consistently at one venue, Dubai cannot be considered a "home ground" for the Indian side, emphasizing the varying conditions his team has faced.
The debate emerged after former cricketers from Pakistan, Australia, and England raised concerns over India's continuous stay in Dubai throughout the tournament, suggesting it allowed the Indian team to better acclimatize to local conditions than other Group A teams.
Varied Pitch Conditions Pose Challenges: Rohit Sharma
Addressing these concerns ahead of India's semifinal clash against Australia, Rohit Sharma highlighted that each match played in Dubai had presented distinct pitch conditions, requiring constant adjustments by his players."Every time, the pitch has offered different challenges," Rohit said during the pre-match press conference. "In the three games we've played here, the surface behaved differently each time. Dubai isn't our home venue—we don't play many matches here. It's new territory for us too."
Quick Adaptation Essential for Semifinal Against Australia
With uncertainty around which pitch will host the crucial semifinal, Rohit stressed the importance of rapid adaptability. "There are four or five different surfaces in use. We don't know exactly which one we'll play on. We'll need to quickly assess conditions and adapt accordingly," he explained.Rohit specifically referred to India's recent Group A encounter against New Zealand, where pitch behavior significantly differed from earlier matches. "In the last game against New Zealand, we saw the ball swinging slightly when their bowlers were operating—something absent in our first two matches. Similarly, spin wasn't prominent before but came into play today," he noted.
Competitive Surfaces Enhance Game Excitement
Rohit welcomed challenging conditions for bowlers, believing they contribute positively to the game's excitement. "If there's some assistance for bowlers—whether spin or seam—it makes the contest very intriguing. I'm all for surfaces that challenge players on both sides," he remarked.Justifying India's Spin-Heavy Selection
Defending India's decision to include five spinners in the squad, Rohit said the team anticipated slower pitches based on observations from the ILT20 league held recently in Dubai."We monitored the ILT20 closely, observing that the wickets here have slowed down significantly over the past two months. Therefore, selecting extra spinners made sense. Plus, with Rishabh Pant in the squad, we already had additional batting depth if required," Rohit explained.
Early Arrival Helped India's Adaptation
The skipper also acknowledged that arriving early in Dubai significantly aided India's preparations. "Getting here five or six days in advance allowed us ample time for training. The practice pitches at the ICC Academy closely mirrored actual match conditions, which helped us adapt quickly," he concluded.India will face Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal, seeking to continue their strong performance and reach the final showdown in Dubai.
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