DUBAI: In the centre of a major controversy around having a perceived advantage of playing at the same venue in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, the Indian team is not yielding to any suggestions in this regard.
After skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir, the team’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak is the latest to deny that Team India had an “undeniable advantage” of playing all their matches in the tournament at the Dubai International Stadium here, while all the other teams shuttled between Pakistan and UAE.
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Kotak, in fact, pointed out that the issue of India having an edge over other teams as a result of playing all their matches at one venue has been raked up more only because Rohit Sharma & Co had won four matches in a row and reached the final of the Champions Trophy.
“I don’t understand what advantage has been gained in that. There’s no question of any advantage. We have played to the draw. If people feel it’s an advantage after India has won four matches in a row, then I don’t know what to say about it. At the end of the day, in a game, you have to play good cricket every day when you turn up. If you don’t play well, you can’t complain,” Kotak said during Team India’s practice session on Friday, just two days ahead of the final against New Zealand at Dubai International Cricket Stadium here.
“And if you play well, there is no point saying whether you got an advantage or not. I don’t really think so. Because we are practicing here (at the ICC Academy), and playing matches there (at DICS). We are practicing obviously (on a) different wicket. We all know that. So, the only thing is that we played here (In Dubai). But that is how the draw is. So, nothing else can be done in that. It is not that after coming here, they (the ICC) changed something and (we) got an advantage,” Kotak said.
Kotak didn’t agree to the idea that India held a psychological advantage over New Zealand in the final after defeating them in a group match at the same venue last Sunday. “I think we should not think like that. We should just try and turn up and play a good game of cricket. There is no point in thinking about the last match. We have to think on what to do on the 9th,” the former Saurashtra stalwart said.
