Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has expressed that playing all their matches in Dubai is an advantage for Team India. His perspective contrasts with that of Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and Captain Rohit Sharma, who stated that the Dubai venue is neutral, and the players are not gaining any advantage in the Champions Trophy 2025.
Shami remarked after India defeated Australia to reach the final,
"It is certainly helping us. We know the conditions and the behavior of the pitch. It is certainly an advantage to play all the matches at one venue."
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Shami's comments have raised eyebrows among experts, with many former players voicing concerns about India playing all its matches at a single venue while other teams must travel between locations. Experts Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain highlighted this as an unfair advantage. During a Sky Sports podcast, Michael Atherton discussed the topic, saying,
"What about the advantage India has in playing only in Dubai? It seems to be a hard-to-quantify advantage, but an undeniable advantage," to which Hussain agreed.
In response to these criticisms, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir addressed the issue in a post-match press conference, disputing the notion of an advantage. "This is not our home; this is Dubai. We don't play many matches here. This is new for us too," Rohit said, dismissing the talk of an advantage. Gambhir added,
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"This is as neutral a venue for us as it is for any other team. We have not played here before. I can't even remember the last tournament we played in this stadium. We didn't plan anything like that."
India will face New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 finals, scheduled to be held in Dubai on March 9, 2025. Tickets for this event sold out within two hours of going on sale.
