Champions Trophy 2025: 'It Definitely Has' - Mohammed Shami Admits India Hold Advantage of Playing in Single Venue

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Captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir disagreed to claims that India has an advantage of playing their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in a single venue, but senior pacer Mohammed Shami has contradicted to their statements ahead of the final.

There has been a huge debate around India getting an advantage over their opponents in the Champions Trophy 2025 as the Men in Blue have played all their matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, where they will also face New Zealand in the final.

Rohit's side is unbeaten in the tournament, beating Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the group stage before seeing off Australia in the semi-final on a sluggish surface at the Dubai venue. While most have said India is still playing at a neutral venue, Shami has admitted to India having an advantage.

"It has definitely helped us because we know the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch. It is a plus point that you are playing all the matches at one venue. The main thing is to gauge the conditions and know how the pitch behaves because you are playing at one venue and you can get to know it well," Shami said after India's semifinal win over Australia.

Former England cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton brought about the topic up for discussion in a Sky Sports podcast, and since then it has been a debated among fans and experts with some disagreeing to the claims.

"What about the advantage India have in playing in Dubai, only in Dubai? Which seems to me to be a hard-to-quantify advantage, but an undeniable advantage," said Atherton on the recent podcast to which Hussain agreed.

Gambhir rubbished these claims and so did skipper Rohit, who said, "This is not our home, this is Dubai. So, we don't play so many matches here. This is new for us too." Meanwhile, Gambhir added, "This is as neutral a venue for us as it is for any other team."