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Critics have argued that India have benefitted from playing at a single venue in Dubai which has seen them win all their matches en route to the Champions Trophy final.
Mohammed Shami has taken eight wickets from four matches of the ongoing tournament so far. (AP Photo)
Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir have summarily rejected the claim made by a few current and former cricketers that India have the advantage over the other teams in the Champions Trophy since they are playing all their games at a single venue. However, India pace spearhead Mohammed Shami has a contrasting take, conceding that it has “definitely helped” his team.
“It has definitely helped us because we know the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch. It is a plus point that you are playing all the matches at one venue. The main thing is to gauge the conditions and know how the pitch behaves because you are playing at one venue and you can get to know it well,” Shami said after India’s semifinal win over Australia on Tuesday in Dubai.
Shami is India’s leading wicket-taker in the ongoing tournament with eight scalps from four games so far.
The critics have argued that India have been able to make good use of the spin-friendly pitches of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and they don’t have to travel either unlike other participants.
As per the Hybrid Model, Indian team is playing all their matches including the semifinal and the upcoming final in Dubai. The matches not involving India have been played across three venues in Pakistan.
India head coach Gambhir was unforgiving in his response to claims over his team having an “undue advantage”.
“I know, there’s a lot of debate about the undue advantage. But what is an undue advantage? First of all, this is as much of a neutral venue for us as it is for any other team. I don’t remember which tournament we played in this stadium last time,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“”We haven’t practiced here even for a day. We practiced in the ICC Academy. The conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. Some people are just perpetual cribbers. So, I feel we didn’t have any undue advantage,” he added.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
- Location :
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
