Robin Uthappa defends India's venue choice amid Champions Trophy controversy
What's the story
The ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been mired in controversy as India decided to play all their matches in Dubai. Critics claim this gives the team an unfair advantage over others who are playing across different venues in Pakistan and Dubai. However, former Indian opener Robin Uthappa, has defended this move by highlighting India's right to select venues based on geo-political reasons. Here's more.
Scoring debate
Uthappa highlights missed scoring opportunities in Pakistan
Uthappa feels India's strong batting line-up could have scored more runs had they played on Pakistan's batsman-friendly pitches. He argued the slow pitch of Dubai has made run-scoring difficult. "India could have complained that had they played on flat Pakistani pitches, their record could have been nicer," Uthappa said during a book launch event.
Venue advantage
Uthappa acknowledges familiarity advantage in Dubai
Uthappa admitted that although India had an edge in the Champions Trophy considering they were accustomed to the conditions in Dubai, it's worth noting that they had "the right to decide if they don't want to travel to a particular nation due to the geo-political situation." This came after former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer's suggestion that matches could have been spread across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.
Coach's perspective
Rajput agrees with Uthappa on India's advantage
Former Indian opener and current UAE head coach Lalchand Rajput concurred with Uthappa's assessment. He said India did have an advantage in the 2025 Champions Trophy as it wasn't easy for visiting teams to quickly adapt to the Dubai pitch. But he also noted that Pakistani pitches are flat while Dubai is slower, requiring some effort from teams to adjust swiftly.
Team focus
Uthappa advises Indian team to focus on form and strength
As for India's potential semi-final opponents from Group B, either Australia or South Africa, Uthappa advised the 2023 ODI World Cup finalists to concentrate on their own "form, strength and mood of the team." He emphasized that any confident and in-form team shouldn't be overly concerned about who they are going to face or the pitches they are going to play on.
India CT 2025
India's journey in 2025 Champions Trophy
India started their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a win over Bangladesh. Mohammed Shami's 5/53 saw the Tigers manage 228/10. Towhid Hridoy slammed 100. In response, Shubman Gill's unbeaten 101 sealed the deal. Thereafter, India thrashed Pakistan by six wickets. Pakistan perished for 241 in 49.4 overs. India chased down the target (244/4) with Virat Kohli smashing 100*. Team India next faces New Zealand on Sunday. Notably, alongside India, the Kiwis have also reached the semis.