India captain Rohit Sharma believes that the pitches in Dubai have been challenging for batsmen, and bowlers have also had to adjust.
Of the four teams remaining in the Champions Trophy 2025, Australia has been to three of the four venues, while New Zealand has travelled to all four. South Africa, despite not playing in Dubai, travelled there to potentially prepare for a semi-final against India and are now heading back to Lahore. South Africa has not complained about this travel and was excited about the prospect of playing golf in Dubai.
Meanwhile, India has not had to travel. They will play their fourth match in Dubai in two weeks on Tuesday – a semi-final against Australia. Despite the minimal travel and the benefit of playing three matches here, Rohit Sharma says they don’t have a significant advantage at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
‘It’s not like we know what’s going to happen on these pitches,’ Rohit said before the semi-final against Australia. ‘We don’t know which pitch will be used in the semi-final, but we will adapt. And it’s not our home either – this is Dubai. We don’t play many matches here, so it’s new for us as well.’
India has played on two different pitches in Dubai so far, playing their last group match against New Zealand on the same pitch as their match against Bangladesh. The semi-final surface is the same one they played Pakistan on. Some teams feel this schedule gives India an advantage, but Rohit says conditions in Dubai have varied.
‘The three matches we have played, the pitch nature was the same, but it behaved differently,’ he said. ‘Against New Zealand, their pacers got swing and seam, which we didn’t see in the previous two matches when our bowlers bowled first. In the evening, it’s a bit cold, increasing the chance of swing.’
‘We don’t know how each wicket will play. They look similar, but behave differently. The pitch offers different challenges, and as batsmen, we must consider shot selection, and bowlers must adjust.’
India will play Australia in the semi-final after topping Group A. Australia advanced with two no-results and a win over England. Australia has won the last two major knockout matches against India, in the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023.
‘It’s a great opposition,’ Rohit said. ‘We need to do what we’ve been doing for the last three games and approach this game similarly. We understand the opposition and how they play.’
‘Australia has been a great team for years, so we expect a fight and tense moments. It’s a semi-final, so both teams will be under pressure to win.’
