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Champions Trophy: Rohit playing down India’s Dubai advantage

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Champions Trophy ODI cricket

Indian captain Rohit Sharma does not believe his side have an advantage heading into their 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia in the UAE on Tuesday, despite playing three matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium already.

India are the only side who have not had to travel over the past fortnight, with the cricketing giants refusing to play in Pakistan for security reasons.

But Rohit says the difference in pitches used at the Dubai ground mitigates any advantage his team might have from their continuity of venue.

“It’s not like we know what’s going to happen on these pitches,” he said.

“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.

“The three matches we have played, the nature of the surface was the same, but the pitch behaved differently in the three games.

“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.

“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.”

Cricket betting sites have India as strong favourites heading into the first knockout match of the tournament.

Top bookmaker Marantelli Bet has the world No.1 team at $1.53 to book their spot in the final, with Australia paying $2.50 to win.

However, Rohit is wary of the threat the two-time champions pose.

“Look, it’s a great opposition to play against,” he said.

“All we have to do is what we’ve been thinking about the last three games.

“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.”

Online bookmakers have India priced as $2.25 favourites to go on and win the 2025 Champions Trophy, with Australia next in the market at $4.

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Topics: Australia, Champions Trophy, Cricket, Featured, India

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