Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey
India playing their Champions Trophy games in Dubai has been a hot topic of conversation for months on end, including within the tournament itself. Former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton believe India have an undeniable advantage playing at the same ground, as they are able to get used to conditions without having to travel to different grounds.
However, Hussain, as well as many other pundits and fans, believe India have home advantage. “I saw a tweet the other day: Pakistan – host nation, India – home advantage. That sort of sums it up, really,” Hussain said on Sky Sports.
Tim Wigmore echoed those thoughts further in his piece for The Telegraph. Wigmore also questioned why India always get the final game of the group stage, with “concerns about the integrity of the [ICC] tournaments” as India “would know exactly what they needed to do to qualify” should net run rate come into play.
India in Dubai: Does it make them unbeatable?
India do have the advantage of knowing and understanding the conditions. They would have played three games at the venue compared to none (plus the travel) for their semi-final opponent. Also, it is a fair argument to say India have picked a squad suited perfectly for one location. This advantage could have been reduced with one game in Abu Dhabi, for example, but India would have been in the semi-final regardless as Bangladesh and Pakistan are no match.
However, the talk of Dubai as home advantage is strange. The pitches so far in Dubai are quite different to what we see for ODIs in India, with truer batting surfaces a common sight throughout the country.
Ask any India batter where they’d rather be batting and I’d imagine each of them would say Lahore or Rawalpindi over Dubai. The surfaces have been prestine for batting in Pakistan, in contrast to Dubai which have been sluggish in nature.
The timing of such comments in the media comes as a surprise. To paint the result in the India-Pakistan game as some sort of injustice because it was played in Dubai is as ridiculous as it is wrong. India-Pakistan showdowns, either in ICC or Asia Cups, have largely gone one way over the past decade. It would have been an even easier win for India on a flat Lahore, Rawalpindi or Karachi pitch given the difference in mentality and quality between the two batting lineups.
In such a situation, mentality is so important. As an opponent, you can either tackle the challenge head on or choose to make an excuse. Teams with belief can exploit such conditions and cause India problems. Sluggish pitches that offer some spin and reward cutters can bring the two teams closer together, aiding bowling lineups to keep the Indian side more quiet than they likely would on a flat pitch.
The 2023 ODI World Cup Final is the most obvious example. Many fans and pundits wrote Australia off at the thought of a slow pitch, while some accused India of “rigging” the tournament. Michael Vaughan, before the semi-final of that tournament, said only fresh pitches should be used.
However, Pat Cummins’ side utilised the conditions magnificently to keep India in check. They conceded only a handful of boundaries and chased India’s 240 with consumate ease to lift their sixth World Cup. Following the match, India fans everywhere criticised the surface.
This is not to say such an occurrence will happen again in this Champions Trophy. But, a team who plans well and has the resources can cause India headaches in tricky conditions. For example, if India face Australia in the semi-final, the likes of Nathan Ellis and Ben Dwarshuis would be more difficult to handle on a Dubai track than Lahore with their cutters and slower balls into the pitch. The likes of Matt Short, Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head would be more threatening with deliveries holding in the surface, as opposed to a flat track where they would be fighting to bowl a single dot.
Of course, India have the bowlers – particularly spinners – to make life all the more challenging, but opponents with a positive mentality can go to the UAE with the belief they can win. Also, the likes of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa possess good players of spin in their lineups.
Yes, it would have been great to see India play in Pakistan and have the tournament in one country. Geo-political factors make these situations very complicated. However, from a cricketing perspective, I believe India would have been nailed on to win the tournament in Pakistani conditions. In Dubai, the opponents have more of a chance, and we Australians have witnessed how such conditions can work against India.
Time will tell what impact the sluggish surfaces of Dubai will have on the business end of the tournament. India are undoubtedly the favourites, but there are teams in this competition who will give it a red-hot crack. Let’s see what transpires.
