India skipper Rohit Sharma dismissed claims that his team has an unfair advantage in the ICC Champions Trophy as it is playing all the matches in Dubai. Speaking ahead of India's semifinal clash against Australia, Rohit emphasised that Dubai is not India's home venue and that the pitches have behaved differently in each match.

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"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," the Indian skipper said.

Several former cricketers from Pakistan, Australia, and England had questioned India's prolonged stay in Dubai, arguing it allowed them to acclimatise better than other Group A teams. However, Rohit pointed out that adapting to different surfaces has been a key factor in their success.

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"There are four or five surfaces being used here. I don't know which pitch we will play on in the semifinals, but whatever happens, we will have to adapt," he added.

'Adaptation is key'

Citing India’s last group-stage match against New Zealand, Rohit explained how pitch conditions kept changing. "We saw some swing for the New Zealand bowlers, which wasn’t there in the first two games. In the last game, there wasn’t much spin, but today there was a bit of it. So, it's not like we know exactly how the pitch will behave."

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Rohit also defended India's decision to include five spinners in the squad, stating that their selection was influenced by observing the ILT20 matches played in Dubai. "We had an idea that the surfaces would be slow. Watching ILT20, we felt slower bowlers would play a big role here."

On India's early arrival in Dubai, Rohit acknowledged it helped the team adapt. "Luckily, we came here five or six days before the tournament, trained well, and the pitches at the ICC Academy were similar to the match conditions. Adaptation is the key, and we have done that well so far."

India will take on Australia in the semifinal, where Rohit expects a good contest, particularly if the pitch offers something for the bowlers. "When you have surfaces that challenge both batters and bowlers, it makes the game more exciting. I am all for it."