Rohit Sharma fumes, destroys critics over ‘unfair advantage’ claims in CT 2025
Published - 03 Mar 2025, 04:39 PM | Updated - 03 Mar 2025, 11:38 PM
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Rohit Sharma dismissed any claims that India have an unfair advantage in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 just because all their matches are being played in Dubai. Rohit Sharma made it clear that Dubai is not their home ground and that the conditions have been testing India in different ways.
Many former cricketers, especially from England, have been complaining that India have an unfair advantage of staying in a city and playing all the matches in a single venue—Dubai International Cricket Stadium. There has been a notion that they can easily lift the trophy because of this edge.
Dubai is not our home ground: Rohit Sharma dismisses Dubai controversy ahead of India vs Australia semifinal
However, Rohit pointed out that each game has presented unique challenges, with the pitches behaving differently every time. The Indian skipper has stressed that surfaces in Dubai are also new to them, as they also don’t play much at the venue.
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Rohit Sharma said at the pre-match press conference, “Every time, the pitch is giving you different challenges. 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 too.”
With multiple pitches being used in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Rohit said that India is uncertain about the conditions they will face in the semifinal against Australia, so he called for flexibility to assess the situation quickly and adjust their game accordingly.
Rohit Sharma unaware about the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinals surface
The Indian skipper further added, “There are four or five surfaces that are being used here. See, I don't know which pitch is going to be played in the semifinals. But whatever happens, we will have to adapt and see what is happening and what is not. And we will play on that.”
Varun Chakravarthy’s transformation has left Rohit Sharma in awe of him. The mystery spinner, who was sidelined after a forgettable 2021 T20 World Cup, has made a thunderous comeback, and Rohit can't stop praising his evolution after his incredible performance against New Zealand.
Rohit believes that Varun is now sharper, deadlier, and more precise than ever before. The difference between the bowler who last played for them in 2021 and the one dominating in 2025 is quite different. His accuracy has improved significantly, making him a nightmare for batters on spin-friendly tracks.
Rohit Sharma praises Varun Chakravarthy ahead of the semifinals
With his recent five-wicket demolition of New Zealand, Varun has firmly re-established himself as India’s X-factor, and Rohit’s statement was a clear hint that Varun is all but confirmed to play in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal against Australia in Dubai on March 4.
Rohit said of Varun, “I think he's become more accurate now from the last time he played for India, which was way back in 2021. There was a little bit of inexperience in him as well because he hadn't played a lot of cricket.”
He signed off by saying, “But right now, in the last two or three years, he has played a lot of cricket, whether it's domestic cricket, IPL, and now for India in T20s and now the ODIs as well. So, he understands his bowling really well.”
