Rohit Sharma Hits Back at ‘Unfair Advantage’ Claims in Champions Trophy

Dubai: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has dismissed allegations of India enjoying an unfair advantage in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to playing all their matches in Dubai, asserting that the venue does not offer them any special privileges.

His response comes amid growing criticism from former cricketers from Pakistan, Australia, and England, who have suggested that India’s extended stay in Dubai provides them with an undue edge over other teams in Group A.

However, Rohit, speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of India's semi-final clash against Australia, refuted the claims, emphasizing that the pitches in Dubai have posed different challenges in each game.

“Every time, the pitch is giving you different challenges. The three matches that we played here, the pitch has behaved differently. This is not our home, this is Dubai. We don’t play so many matches here, and this is new for us too,” Rohit stated.

'Conditions Keep Changing': Rohit on Dubai Pitches

The Indian captain pointed out that while his team has played multiple matches at the Dubai International Stadium, they do not have complete familiarity with the conditions.

He cited India's last Group A match against New Zealand, highlighting how swing conditions emerged in that game, which were absent in the first two fixtures.

“We saw that when the (New Zealand) bowlers were bowling, it was swinging a little bit. We did not see it in the first two games when our bowlers were bowling. In the last game, we did not get to see that much spin, but today there was a bit of it,” Rohit explained.

With uncertainty over which surface will be used in the semi-finals, Rohit emphasized the need for his squad to adapt quickly.

“There are four or five surfaces that are being used here. I don’t know which pitch is going to be played in the semi-finals. But whatever happens, we will have to adapt and see what is happening and what is not. And we will play on that,” he added.

India's Selection Strategy: Five Spinners a Calculated Decision

Responding to concerns over India's squad selection, Rohit defended the decision to include five specialist spinners in the team. He revealed that the management had been closely monitoring pitch conditions in Dubai over the past two months, particularly during the ILT20 tournament, and anticipated that spinners would play a crucial role.

“Looking at the surface here and hearing about what has happened in Dubai in the past two months, we somehow kind of knew that surfaces are going to be slow. We were watching ILT20 which was played here, and we thought the slower bowlers will be a lot more helpful,” he said.

While critics have questioned the lack of an additional batting option, Rohit assured that India had enough depth in the squad with Rishabh Pant available as a backup.

‘Early Arrival Helped Us Adapt Quickly’

The Indian skipper acknowledged that reaching Dubai well in advance gave the team extra time to acclimatize to the conditions. He credited early training sessions at the ICC Academy, where the practice pitches resembled the ones used in the main tournament, for helping the squad adjust efficiently.

“It was important for us to adapt quickly to these conditions. Luckily, we came here five or six days before, had good training sessions, and the pitches at the (ICC) Academy were very much similar to what we are going to get here,” Rohit noted.

A Competitive Semi-Final Awaits

As India gears up for a high-stakes semi-final against Australia, Rohit welcomed the prospect of a challenging wicket, suggesting that a well-balanced contest between bat and ball is what makes cricket more exciting.

“If there is something in it for the bowlers as well, that makes it very, very interesting. I am one for it. When you have surfaces that are challenging, whether with spin or seam, you want to have that. You want a good contest,” he concluded.

With India looking strong ahead of their knockout clash, all eyes will be on whether they can continue their dominant form in Dubai and move one step closer to lifting the Champions Trophy.