Mohammed Shami believes it’s a clear advantage to stay and play in one city, a view different from the Indian team management, including the captain and coach.
Shami stated that playing in Dubai is helpful as they are familiar with the conditions and pitch behavior, after India’s victory against Australia to reach the final.
Shami reiterated that playing all matches at one location is definitely an advantage, mentioning this after taking three wickets for 48 in the game on Tuesday night.
However, captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir hold the opposite view. Rohit dismissed the advantage talk, saying Dubai isn’t their home and they don’t play there often, so it’s new for them too.
Gambhir added that Dubai is a neutral venue for everyone, as they haven’t played there much recently and didn’t plan to play all games there.
Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton started a discussion on a Sky Sports podcast about India’s advantage of playing only in Dubai, which Atherton described as an undeniable, though hard to measure, advantage, and Hussain agreed.
India will play the final against New Zealand on at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, their fifth consecutive match at this venue. New Zealand also has some experience there, having played and lost a group game against India in Dubai.
