Champions Trophy 2025: Pat Cummins, Atherton Right? Is Dubai Turning into India's Home Ground?

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February 26, 2025

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Champions Trophy 2025: Pat Cummins, Atherton Right? Is Dubai Turning into India’s Home Ground?

The Champions Trophy, hosted by Pakistan, is seeing a lot of talk about India’s matches in Dubai. Even though it’s supposed to be a “neutral” venue, many people feel India has a big advantage. This is especially true because of the way the pitches in Dubai are playing.

India is playing all its matches in Dubai. This means they don’t have to travel to different cities in Pakistan like the other teams. In addition, the way the pitches are playing in Dubai is very different from the pitches in Pakistan. This is creating a situation where India feels very comfortable, almost like they are playing at home.

Before the tournament, people said that India would have an unfair advantage. They were right. Other teams have to move between Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore. However, teams playing India only have to go to Dubai and then back.

More than just the travel, the conditions in Dubai are causing problems. India knew what to expect in Dubai. So, they picked five spinners for their team. Other teams, expecting fast pitches in Pakistan, picked more fast bowlers. But the pitches in Dubai are slow and turn a lot. If the Dubai pitches were like the ones in Pakistan, there wouldn’t be any complaints.

India has been playing very well. Because of the conditions, they are now the favourites to win. “What about the advantage India has by playing only in Dubai? It seems like a big advantage,” said Michael Atherton, former England captain. “They’re playing at one venue. So, they can pick their team based on the conditions in Dubai. They also know they’ll play their semi-final there. This is a clear advantage, but it’s hard to say exactly how big it is.”

Indeed, India has a clear advantage. In their two matches in Dubai, there hasn’t been much dew. This means the pitch gets slower as the game goes on. India has won both games easily, even when batting second. Teams going to Dubai for the semi-finals only have one day to get used to the conditions. They will have to change their plans, which were made for the pitches in Pakistan.

In Dubai, the highest score batting first has been 241/4. The weather in the afternoon is warm. This helps India’s spinners, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav. They make the ball turn a lot. Usually, teams attack spinners in the middle overs, when there are fewer fielders outside the circle. But in Dubai, they might need batsmen who can play carefully and find gaps.

Champions Trophy 2025, PCB

Also, teams like England, Australia, and South Africa like to use fast bowlers from one end. They don’t use spinners as much because of the field restrictions. But in Dubai, they have to change their strategy, even if it’s just for one game.

These things are making teams like Australia and England worried about playing in Dubai. South Africa is also concerned, but they might be better prepared. Among the other teams, New Zealand and Afghanistan could give India a tough time in Dubai.

New Zealand has a good team with spinners and fast bowlers. They will get to play India in Dubai before the semi-finals. This will help them get used to the conditions. If they play India again in the final, it will be a fair fight. New Zealand has many left-handed batsmen, so India might not be able to play all their left-arm spinners. They might have to bring in Washington Sundar or Varun Chakaravarthy.

From India’s point of view, Afghanistan could be a dangerous opponent. Afghanistan has a strong spin attack and they are familiar with the conditions in Dubai. They could push India to their limits. In 2018, Afghanistan even tied a game against India in Dubai.

However, it’s not all bad for the other teams. India isn’t unbeatable in these conditions. They tried to make the pitches too slow in Ahmedabad during the World Cup, and they lost. Six months ago, Sri Lanka beat them in similar conditions. So, India can be beaten.

The main question is how well the other teams can adapt to the slow pitches in Dubai. It will be a tough challenge, but it’s not impossible. The Champions Trophy is still exciting, and anything can happen.