India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma has rubbished claims that the Men in Blue have a ‘home advantage’ due to the spinner nature of the Dubai pitch. Addressing the press before the big-billed India vs. Australia semifinal in the ICC Champions Trophy, the Indian captain was posed the question regarding Team India starting the match with a significant advantage over Steve Smith’s team, who haven’t played in Dubai yet.
Rohit Sharma talks about Dubai’s changing conditions
Rohit Sharma explained that the pitch and the conditions have been different in all three games. That’s why you can’t play the same brand of cricket; you have to adapt to the situations. This applies not just to batters but also to the bowlers.
“Look, the three matches we played, the nature of the surface was the same. But in all three games, the pitch has behaved differently. Today, we saw that when the bowlers were bowling with the new ball, it was swinging a little. We didn’t see that in the first two games when our bowlers were bowling. And in the evening, it’s a little cold in the air. So, there are obviously a lot of chances of that swing. We know this. But in the three games we played, there are four or five surfaces that are being used. So, every surface has a different nature. We don’t know which wicket will be played,” Rohit Sharma said before India’s semifinal against Australia.
“The pitches look the same, but when you play on it, it’s played in a different way. Every time, because of the different pitches, the pitch is giving you different challenges as a batsman. We have to think whether it’s necessary to play these shots or not. When the bowler was bowling, we saw a little spin today. We didn’t see that much spin in the last game. So, there are different things happening on every surface. So, we know what is going to happen on this pitch and what’s not. Even for us, it is a little bit of a question mark as to which pitch is being played. Because there are four or five surfaces that are being used here,” the Indian captain added.
Dubai, not our home: Rohit Sharma
Speaking specifically about the pitch that will be rolled out for the India vs. Australia semifinal, Rohit Sharma stated that just like the last three matches, the Men in Blue will have to adapt. Yes, they knew they would play their matches, but Dubai International Cricket Stadium isn’t a home ground for Team India.
“In the semifinal, we don’t know which pitch is going to be played. We don’t know which pitch is going to be played in the semifinal. But whatever happens, we have to adapt and see what is happening. We will play on that. This is Dubai; this is not our home. So, we don’t play so many matches here. This is new for us too,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
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