South Africa batter Rassie van der Dussen called out India’s advantage of playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. The Men in Blue refused to travel to Pakistan for the marquee tournament. Following this, an agreement was made between BCCI, PCB and ICC, where it was decided that India and Pakistan would play in neutral venues going forward.
Talking about the Champions Trophy, Dussen feels that it is a huge advantage to India, as they will be well aware of the conditions of Dubai International Cricket Stadium. He noted that all the other teams will be playing only once and the conditions will be foreign to them. However, he added that it can put some extra pressure on the Rohit Sharma-led side to get the results.
“It's definitely an advantage. I saw that Pakistan was commenting about it, but it's definitely an advantage. If you can stay in one place, stay in one hotel, practise in the same facilities, play in the same stadium, on the same pitches every time, it's definitely an advantage," van der Dussen in the press conference.
“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 but they [India] are going to be used to it. The pressure would be on them to get it right because they have all that knowledge,” he added.
Notably, South Africa will play England in their final league game of the Champions Trophy. They are almost on the verge of qualifying for the semi-final as a win will seal their spot, while even if they lose by a small margin, they will still go through. Nevertheless, if Afghanistan lose to Australia, their match won’t matter much as South Africa will automatically qualify.