ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final: India have ‘no advantage’ over New Zealand | Cricket News

Date:

Share post:

India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak blasts back at assertion that India’s Champions Trophy hopes boosted by Dubai venue.

India playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai was a pre-tournament decision, and talk of it giving India an unfair advantage is baseless, the team’s batting coach says as he blasts back against the criticism.

Rohit Sharma’s India face New Zealand in the title clash on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, where the tournament favourites have been unbeaten in their four matches.

India refused to tour hosts Pakistan in the eight-nation tournament due to political tensions and were given Dubai as their venue in the United Arab Emirates.

“The draw that happened, it happened before,” batting coach Sitanshu Kotak told reporters before the final. “After India winning four matches, if people feel that there is an advantage, then I don’t know what to say about it.”

আরও পড়ুনঃ  US designates Yemen’s Houthis as ‘foreign terrorist’ organisation | Houthis News

The tournament’s tangled schedule with teams flying in and out of the UAE from Pakistan while India have stayed put has been controversial.

South Africa batsman David Miller said “it was not an ideal situation” for his team to fly to Dubai to wait on India’s semifinal opponent and then fly back to Lahore in less than 24 hours.

Even nominal hosts Pakistan had to jump on a jet and fly to Dubai to play India rather than face them on home soil.

India's Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring fifty runs during the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal cricket match between India and Australia at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Christopher Pike)
India’s Virat Kohli salutes the crowd in Dubai after achieving a century against Australia in the semifinal [Christopher Pike/AP]

The pitches have been vastly different in the two countries. Pakistan tracks produced big totals in contrast to the slow and turning decks of the Dubai stadium.

“End of the day, I think in a game you have to play good cricket every day when you turn up,” Kotak said. “So the only thing they [critics] may say is that we play here. But that is how the draw is.”

আরও পড়ুনঃ  Video: Protesters around the world condemn Trump’s ‘takeover’ plan for Gaza

“So nothing else can happen in that. It is not that after coming here, they changed something, and we got an advantage,” he added.

India have been the team to beat after they topped Group A, in which they faced New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh. They then beat Australia in the first semifinal.

New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, lost the last group game to India by 44 runs before they beat South Africa in the second semifinal in Lahore.

India's Varun Chakravarthy, centre, celebrate the wicket of New Zealand's Glenn Phillips , right, during the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between India and New Zealand at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri )
India’s Varun Chakravarthy, centre, celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips , right, in Dubai during the final Champions Trophy group-stage match [Altaf Qadri/AP]

Kotak said the previous result between the two teams will have no bearing on their mindset going into the final.

আরও পড়ুনঃ  US sanctions Rwanda minister over DRC fighting | News

“That depends how the New Zealand team thinks, but I think we should not think that,” Kotak said.

“We should just try and turn up and play a good game of cricket because there is no use thinking about the last match.”

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said they are not too worried about India’s advantage.

“I mean, look, the decision around that’s out of our hands,” Stead said.

“So it’s not something we worry about too much. India have got to play all their games here in Dubai. But as you said, we have had a game here, and we’ll learn very quickly from that experience there as well.”

“And if we’re good enough to beat India on Sunday, then I’m sure we’ll be very, very happy,” he added.

Source link

Facebook Comments Box

Related articles

UK’s Reeves floats ‘radical shake-up’ of bureaucracy to cut business costs | Business and Economy

British chancellor to meet regulators on Monday to announce the ‘action plan’ for cutting red tape.The United Kingdom’s...

Barcelona come back at Atletico Madrid to claim LaLiga top spot | Football News

Ferran Torres scores twice as Barcelona come from two down to beat Atletico Madrid and claim top spot...

Venezuelan immigrants deported to El Salvador despite US court ban | News

The United States has flown more than 200 immigrants, alleged members of a Venezuelan gang, to be imprisoned...

First photo of ailing Pope Francis released amid complex health condition | Health News

The pontiff, 88, continues papal duties despite ill health, approving long-term church reform from his hospital room.The Vatican...