Dubai not our home, says Rohit Sharma ahead of semifinals as they set their sights on overcoming Australia tomorrow.
Dubai not our home ground says skipper Rohit Sharma while admitting that the pitches in Dubai have been challenging for batters.
Australia and New Zealand, the two teams left in the Champions Trophy 2025, have visited three and all four of the tournament’s locations, respectively. Despite not playing in Dubai, South Africa visited the city to maybe get ready for a semi-final matchup with India, which never happened, and is currently returning to Lahore. (To be clear, South Africa has not voiced any complaints regarding this trip and was excited about the chance to play golf in Dubai.)
In contrast, India has not had to relocate. On Tuesday, they will play Australia in the semi-final, their fourth game in Dubai in two weeks. India captain Rohit Sharma claims that despite their short travel distance and the fact that they have played three games here, they do not have a major edge at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
“It’s not like we know what’s going to happen on these pitches,” Rohit said ahead of India’s semi-final clash against Australia. “We don’t know which pitch will be used in the semi-final, but whatever it is, we will have to adapt and see how it goes. And it’s not our home either – this is Dubai. We don’t play so many matches here, it’s new for us as well.”
India has already played on two strips at Dubai Square, and they will play New Zealand in their last group encounter on the same track where they played Bangladesh. The semi-final will take place on the same pitch where they played Pakistan. Other teams have felt that India has a competitive edge because of this unconventional timetable, which is a result of India’s economic and geopolitical dominance. However, Rohit noted that conditions in Dubai have not changed.
“The three matches we have played, the nature of the surface was the same, but the pitch behaved differently in the three games,” he said. “Against New Zealand, we saw when their pacers bowled, they got the ball to swing and seam, which we didn’t see in the previous two matches when our bowlers were bowling first. And in the evening, it is a little cold, so there is a chance of the ball swinging.
“We also don’t know how each wicket will play. They look the same, but when you play on the pitches, they behave differently. So the pitch does throw up different challenges and as a batter, we have to think if we can play certain shots or not, and bowlers also have to adjust.”
After winning Group A, India will play Australia in the semi-final. Australia won their tournament opener against England and swept through two games without a result. Australia won both the 2023 ODI World Cup final and the World Test Championship final the last two times these nations faced off in a major knockout event.
“Look, it’s a great opposition to play against,” Rohit said. “All we have to do is what we’ve been thinking about the last three games. And we have to approach that game in a similar fashion. We understand the opposition and how they play.
“Australia have been such a great team over the years, so we will expect some fightback and some nervy times in the middle as well. We are talking about a semi-final. There will be pressure on both teams to win that game.”