Rohit denies Dubai base gives India edge over Australia

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Rohit denies Dubai base gives India edge over Australia

India captain Rohit Sharma has dismissed suggestions that they have had an unfair advantage by being allowed to play all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai.

India refused to tour Pakistan for the tournament because of the strained political relations between the bitter neighbours, who play each other only in multi-team events.

The International Cricket Council, which has former Indian board secretary Jay Shah as its current chairman, has been criticised for obliging the game’s financial engine by letting India camp in Dubai.

While other teams shuttled among three Pakistani cities and Dubai, India did not face any travel hassle and gained valuable insights into the spin-friendly conditions in Dubai having played their all three group matches here.

Rohit denied they held any advantage and said surfaces at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium behaved differently.

“There are four or five surfaces that are being used and every surface has a different nature,” the opener said ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final against Australia.

“The pitches look the same, but when you play on it, it has played in a different way. So, you can’t go thinking ‘we played like this yesterday, and today we’ll play like this’.

“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.

“This is not our home, this is Dubai. We don’t play so many matches here. This is new for us too.”

Nevertheless, India’s four-pronged spin unit claiming nine of the 10 New Zealand wickets on Sunday while successfully defending 9-249 reflected the turn on offer in Dubai.

Varun Chakravarthy, India’s fourth spinner, claimed 5-42 in his Champions Trophy debut leaving skipper Rohit with “a good headache”.

Australia substituted injured opener Matthew Short with spin bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly but the onus will be on Adam Zampa to lead a spin attack that also features Glenn Maxwell and part-timers Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head.

“I don’t think I’m bowling quite at my best but I like to think the beauty about me, when I’m not quite at my best and not feeling that great out there, is my ability to still contribute and take those big wickets,” leg-spinner Zampa said.

India are unbeaten in this year’s tournament but Rohit predicted a tough contest against Australia, who beat them in the finals of both the T20 and ODI World Cups in 2023.

“Look, Australia have been such a great team over the years,” said Rohit.

“So we will expect some fightbacks, we will expect some nervy times as well in the middle.

“But that is how the game is being played these days. And you are talking about a semi-final.”

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