Dubai [UAE], March 1 : Ahead of the crucial India-New Zealand match in Dubai on Sunday, former India opener Robin Uthappa and current UAE head coach Lalchand Rajput shared their insights on India's perceived 'home' advantage and the significance of maintaining momentum in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Addressing whether India enjoys a 'home advantage' in Dubai, as the tournament hosts are Pakistan, but India did not play due to political tension, Uthappa stated at the launch of a book -Life Lessons from Cricket, "I will not say it's a home advantage, but there is definitely an advantage of familiarity. I heard an interview where former India opener Wasim Jaffer was saying that there could have been one match in Abu Dhabi, one in Dubai, and one in Sharjah, and definitely that could have been done so that other teams couldn't find a reason to complain. However, we must ask why didn't we go to Pakistan? Because of the geo-political situation. And each country has their right to decide if they don't want to travel to a particular nation. And for that, if one country ends up playing in one venue, then so be it."
"India could have complained that had they played on flat Pakistani pitches, their record could have been nicer. Each batsman would have got an opportunity to score (heavily). You may say whatever, but at the end of the day, cricket is a contest between bat and ball, and the team which plays well on that day wins. And those who complain, you can sense their mental state. It becomes so obvious," he added.
When asked whether India should have a preferred semifinal opponent, Uthappa dismissed the idea, emphasizing that a confident team should focus on its own strengths rather than external factors.
"Genuinely, as a cricketer, it does not matter to us who is going to be our opponent. We as a team should focus on our form, strength, and mood, which is more important than who we are going to face or the pitches we are going to play on. It doesn't matter much. Any team which is confident and in form would never think on those lines. They will concentrate on what we are going to do to win the game," he said.
Rajput acknowledged that playing all matches at a single venue does provide an advantage but noted the differences in pitch conditions across locations.
"See, there is definitely an advantage as one team is playing all matches in one venue. But if you look closely, Pakistani pitches are flat, while Dubai is on the slower side, and it will take some effort to get used to these conditions quickly," he said.
Despite India's qualification, Rajput emphasized that no match should be considered meaningless, as maintaining rhythm is crucial.
"See, for a coach, there is nothing called an inconsequential game, as you want your team to win every match and want to play your best players unless there is an injury or workload management. When you are having a good run, it's important to maintain the momentum," he said.
"Sometimes, when you qualify and make changes, and if we lose, then in the next game there is the same kind of pattern (like lack of rhythm), and hence, when you are having a good time, we have to finish--we should always be on top," he added.