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Rassie Van der Dussen believes India has an advantage in the 2025 Champions Trophy by playing all their matches in Dubai. He thinks the pressure is on them to make it count.
India at CT 2025 (AP Photo)
South African batter Rassie Van der Dussen has said it doesn’t take a ‘rocket scientist’ to know that India is enjoying an ‘advantage’ by playing all their matches in Dubai for the 2025 Champions Trophy. He feels Rohit Sharma and Co. would be ‘under pressure’ to make that edge count in the tournament.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to travel to the official host country, Pakistan, due to security concerns. After weeks of deliberation between the Indian board, it’s Pakistani counterpart the Pakistan Cricket Board and the ICC, it was decided that the tournament would be hosted in a hybrid model.
However, unlike earlier such models, India are playing all their matches at the same stadium — the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. They have already beaten Bangladesh and Pakistan here and will host their semi-final opponent and even the final here if they go that far.
“If you can stay in one place, stay in one hotel, practice in the same facilities, play in the same stadium, on the same pitches every time, it’s definitely an advantage,” Van der Dussen said, two days before his team’s match against England, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“I don’t think you have to be a rocket scientist to know that. The onus would be on them to use that advantage. In a sense it puts more pressure on them because whoever is going to play them in the semi or potentially the final is going to go there and the conditions are going to be foreign – and [India] are going to be used to them. The pressure would be on them to get it right because they have all that knowledge.”
The Proteas, like the other seven teams not playing India in the group stage, have played their matches in Pakistan. The beat Afghanistan in Karachi before traveling to Rawalpindi for the clash against Australia, which was washed out. Now, they are back to Karachi to play England.
“It’s a strange situation,” Van der Dussen said. “I was speaking to someone at training today, and I said it’s almost been a week since we’ve played. It feels like everyone else is playing, but we’re not. We have so many training sessions. What’s happening today? Another training session. We have another session tomorrow, which will probably be optional.”
“But it is what it is. It would have been a cracking match [against the Aussies]. They’re playing well, even though they’re missing their big three bowlers [Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood]. We played well against Afghanistan, and when you’re playing well you want to keep playing. The challenge for us is to keep that momentum from a week ago.”
India have already qualified for the semi-finals. South Africa are likely to do so in Group B.
The two teams, the finalists of the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup, might play each other in the semi-final in Dubai if India finish at the top and the Proteas second in their respective groups or vice-versa.
- Location :
Karachi, Pakistan