Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir have summarily rejected the claim made by a few current and former cricketers that India have the advantage over the other teams in the Champions Trophy since they are playing all their games at a single venue. However, India pace spearhead Mohammed Shami has a contrasting take, conceding that it has “definitely helped” his team.
“It has definitely helped us because we know the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch. It is a plus point that you are playing all the matches at one venue. The main thing is to gauge the conditions and know how the pitch behaves because you are playing at one venue and you can get to know it well,” Shami said after India’s semifinal win over Australia on Tuesday in Dubai.
Shami is India’s leading wicket-taker in the ongoing tournament with eight scalps from four games so far.
The critics have argued that India have been able to make good use of the spin-friendly pitches of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and they don’t have to travel either unlike other participants.
