India head coach Gautam Gambhir has hit back at claims that his side enjoys a home-like advantage in Dubai, dismissing the notion as baseless following his side’s commanding five-wicket win over Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final.
India, the 2013 champions, became the first team to secure a spot in the final after outclassing Australia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. However, questions have been raised about whether the conditions gave them an unfair edge.
“Even if this tournament was played in Pakistan, we would have still gone with two spinners. The idea that we have some kind of edge in Dubai is completely unfounded,” said Gautam Gambhir while addressing the media after the match.
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He further emphasized that India hadn’t even trained at the Dubai International Stadium, instead preparing at the ICC Cricket Academy, which has completely different conditions.
“Tell me, when and where has India played a tournament under these current Dubai conditions? I can’t remember,” he argued, taking a direct swipe at the critics.
Dismissing the ongoing debate, Gambhir made it clear that India’s success had nothing to do with external factors.
“Dubai’s pitches don’t favour us in any special way. Our players have delivered in every department of the game because of their skill and hunger to win,” he asserted.
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He also took a shot at how performances are often judged purely on stats.
“As journalists, you look at numbers. We focus on a player’s impact. Scoring big runs doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t influence the match outcome,” he explained.
With India now just one step away from clinching the title, Gambhir remained focused on the bigger picture.
“The job isn’t done yet; there’s still one crucial match to win,” he reminded.