Pakistan might officially be the hosts of the ICC Champions Trophy but Team India’s matches in the tournament are being held in Dubai. Even as the Indian team progresses to the semi-finals and the final, Dubai would remain the only venue for Rohit Sharma‘s men. Whereas for other teams, the Champions Trophy matches are taking place across five venues, with one of them being the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Though Pakistan are the ‘hosts’, former England greats Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain feel it’s the Indian team that is enjoying a ‘home advantage’.
“What about the advantage India have in playing in Dubai, only in Dubai? Which seems to me to be a hard-to-quantify advantage, but an undeniable advantage,” said Michael Atherton in conversation with Naseer Hussain on Sky Sports Podcast.
“They’re playing at just one venue. They don’t have to travel either between venues or, you know, between countries, as a lot of other teams have to do.
The fact that all of India’s matches are to be held in Dubai, Atherton feels the situation does give the team management an advantage over player selection.
“Therefore, the selection, you know, can focus on the conditions in Dubai. And obviously, they’ll know where they’re playing their semi-final as and when they get through to that. That seems to me to be an undeniable advantage, but, you know, kind of hard to quantify how big an advantage,” he said.
Even Nasser Hussain feels the saying ‘Pakistan host nation, India home advantage’, is correct, considering the format that has been created for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain also called the Dubai factor an advantage, while also lauding the team composition they have set up for the venue.
“It is an advantage. So, the best team in the tournament has that advantage. And I saw a tweet the other day saying ‘Pakistan host nation, India home advantage.’ It sums it up really,” he said.
“They are at one place, one hotel, they don’t have to travel. They have one dressing room. They know the pitch, they have picked for that pitch.
“They were very smart in their selection. They probably knew what Dubai is going to be like. They picked all their spinners. there was a bit of debate with Indian media saying why don’t you have gone for an extra seamer? Why all these spinners? Now we can seen why.
“For example the other sides like England if they do get to the semis they have only one spinner (Rehan Ahmed is added as replacement of Brydon Carse), Pakistan have one frontline spinner. You can says that when the injuries came they should have change that and I have made that argument.
“Other teams will have to pick playing XIs for different conditions in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi and then they have to travel and adjust to those conditions.
“So it is an advantage but what else could have happened. Once India refused to come to Pakistan, what could have happen. You can’t have a tournament like this without India-Pakistan. It had to be in Dubai.
“They sit happily and comfortably there. They know they are going to play six games there and if they win all those, they will win another global tournament,” he said.
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