Rohit Sharma Hits Back At India’s Home Advantage Claims In Champions Trophy 2025

Even though India has been doing well in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 with three successive victories against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand to qualify for the semifinal against Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, many questioned if the blue brigade is getting an unfair advantage.

The Rohit Sharma-led side didn’t travel to Pakistan for security reasons in the tournament, as the ICC allowed them to play the entire tournament in Dubai, including the semifinal and final if they qualify.

Rohit Sharma breaks silence on India’s unfair advantage in Champions Trophy

In the opening clash of the event, the 2013 title winners chased down a low total of 229 runs against Bangladesh thanks to Shubman Gill’s century before Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 100-run knock carried them over the line against Pakistan in getting 242 runs on the board.

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Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner, celebrated five wickets against the Blackcaps to defend a low score of 249 runs and seal the game by 44 runs. Shreyas Iyer smashed a fine half-century in the first innings before Hardik Pandya showed his power in the lower middle order.

But, many former players and even the participating players reckoned that the Indian side took advantage by playing on the same surface for two weeks, which helped them get used to the surfaces. They also didn’t need to travel or change the hotel accommodations, which was extra beneficial for the side.

But Rohit Sharma, the captain, has eliminated such a scenario and claimed that they got three different behaving surfaces in the tournament, and the entire condition was new to them, as they don’t play many games in this venue.

"Every time, the pitch is giving you different challenges. In the three matches that we played here, the pitch has behaved differently. This is not our home, this is Dubai. We don't play so many matches here, and this is new for us.” The Nagpur-born expressed this during the pre-match presser before the semifinal.

Rassie van der Dussen highlights India’s advantage in Champions Trophy 2025

The middle-order batter for the South African side, Rassie van der Dussen, reckoned that staying at one place and staying in the hotel and practicing in the same facilities becomes an advantage, and one won’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that.

“I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to know that. The onus would be on them to use that advantage. In a sense, it puts more pressure on them because whoever is going to play them in the semi or potentially the final is going to go there, and the conditions are going to be foreign.” The Protea batter is expressed in a presser.

Even Pakistan’s head coach, Aaqib Javed, accepted that the blue brigade got an extra advantage of playing in the same condition for the entire two weeks.

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“If they are playing in Dubai for a reason, if you play on the same pitch or ground, you will have an advantage. But we are not losing because they had the advantage of the same hotel and pitch (laughs). It's not just because of the pitch, and neither did they play some ten matches there.” Javed explained before the clash against India.

India seeks a better performance against Australia in the semifinal

Before the semifinal of the Champions Trophy, most of the Indian fans will go back to the 2023 ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad, when the Pat Cummins-led side silenced the crowd to end the side’s 10-unbeaten run in the campaign.

But, the blue brigade, who has been in terrific touch in the ICC events since 2015, will look to carry the same momentum of the first three games to beat the Aussies on March 04 in the semifinal.