Rohit Sharma dismissed claims of India having an unfair advantage in the Champions Trophy for playing all their matches in Dubai, clarifying that it’s not their “home venue” and that each pitch offers distinct challenges. He highlighted the variations in pitch behavior during their matches and stressed the importance of quickly adapting to conditions in the upcoming semifinal against Australia. Rohit noted that assessing the pitch is vital for their strategy, underscoring the decision to include five spinners based on recent observations of conditions in Dubai. He acknowledged that early arrival helped the team acclimate effectively.
Captain Rohit Sharma dismissed the idea that India has an unfair advantage in the Champions Trophy simply because they are playing all their matches in Dubai. He clarified that it is not their “home venue” and that the pitches have presented “different challenges” for his team. Numerous former players from Pakistan, Australia, and England have reacted critically to India’s extended stay in Dubai for the duration of the ICC tournament, asserting that this situation has afforded them a better opportunity to acclimatise to the conditions compared to other teams in Group A. “Every time, the pitch offers unique challenges. In the three matches we played here, the pitch has behaved differently. This is not our home; this is Dubai. We don’t play many matches here, and this is new for us too,” Rohit stated in the pre-match press conference before the semifinal against Australia.
Rohit emphasized that his team must quickly adjust to the pitch for the crucial match against the Australians.
“There are four or five surfaces being used here. Honestly, I don’t know which pitch we’ll be playing on in the semifinals. But regardless of the scenario, we will need to adapt, observe what is happening, and respond accordingly,” he added.
Rohit referenced India’s last Group A match against New Zealand on Sunday to illustrate his point.
“We noticed that the (New Zealand) bowlers were seeing a bit of swing. We didn’t observe that in the first two games when our bowlers bowled. In the last game, we saw less spin; today, there was a bit more,” he said.
“Various factors are at play on every pitch. Therefore, it’s not like we can predict what will transpire on this surface,” he explained.
The Mumbaikar indicated that a pitch offering some assistance to bowlers could make the game even more thrilling.
“If there’s something in it for the bowlers, that definitely enhances the interest. I look forward to that. When the surfaces are challenging, whether through spin or seam, it adds to the excitement of the contest,” he mentioned.
Rohit also defended the decision to include five spinners in the Indian squad for this prestigious event, noting their awareness of the pitch conditions in Dubai due to their observation of the ILT20 matches held there.
“Based on our observations of the surfaces and results in Dubai over the past two months, we had a good idea that the pitches would be slow. We were following the ILT20 tournament here and believed that slower bowlers would prove to be advantageous,” he stated.
“If we need an extra batter, we have Rishabh (Pant) available. So, we thought having an extra spin option was beneficial,” he added.
The 37-year-old acknowledged that arriving in Dubai early provided the team an opportunity to “adjust” to the local conditions.
“It was critical for us to adapt quickly to these conditions. Fortunately, we arrived five or six days ahead, had productive training sessions, and the pitches at the (ICC) Academy closely resembled what we would encounter here.
“Adaptation is key when playing on any surface, and we managed to adjust quite well in all three games,” he concluded.
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