Rohit: 'Dubai is not our home, it's a new experience for us'

Out of the four teams still in contention in the Champions Trophy 2025, Australia has visited three out of the four tournament venues, while New Zealand has travelled to all four. South Africa, despite not playing in Dubai, made a stop in the city to possibly prepare for a semi-final match against India that unfortunately did not happen. They are now on their way back to Lahore. It is worth noting that South Africa has not raised any concerns about their travel schedule and were actually excited about the opportunity to play golf in Dubai.

India, meanwhile, have not had to move anywhere. They will play their fourth match in Dubai in two weeks on Tuesday - a semi-final against Australia. But though their travel is light, and they have had the benefit of three matches here, they do not enjoy a significant advantage at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, according to India captain Rohit Sharma.

"It's not like we know what's going to happen on these pitches," Rohit said ahead of India's semi-final clash against Australia. "We don't know which pitch will be used in the semi-final, but whatever it is, we will have to adapt and see how it goes. And it's not our home either - this is Dubai. We don't play so many matches here, it's new for us as well."

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India have played on two strips on the Dubai square so far, playing their final group match against New Zealand on the track they had previously played Bangladesh on. The surface for the semi-final is the same one on which they had played Pakistan. There has been a feeling among other teams that this unusual schedule - a function of both India's economic and geopolitical power - has conferred a competitive advantage to India. But conditions have still varied in Dubai, Rohit said.

"The three matches we have played, the nature of the surface was the same, but the pitch behaved differently in the three games," he said. "Against New Zealand, we saw when their pacers bowled, they got the ball to swing and seam, which we didn't see in the previous two matches when our bowlers were bowling first. And in the evening, it is a little cold, so there is a chance of the ball swinging.

"We also don't know how each wicket will play. They look the same, but when you play on the pitches, they behave differently. So the pitch does throw up different challenges and as a batter, we have to think if we can play certain shots or not, and bowlers also have to adjust."

India will face Australia in the semi-final, having topped Group A, while Australia cruised by two no-results and a victory over England in their tournament opener. The last two times these teams met in a major knockout match, Australia won, clinching both the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final in 2023.

"Look, it's a great opposition to play against," Rohit said. "All we have to do is what we've been thinking about the last three games. And we have to approach that game in a similar fashion. We understand the opposition and how they play.

"Australia have been such a great team over the years, so we will expect some fightback and some nervy times in the middle as well. We are talking about a semi-final. There will be pressure on both teams to win that game."