Gambhir hits back at criticism over India's 'advantage' in Dubai conditions

DUBAI: Indian cricket team coach Gautam Gambhir strongly dismissed claims that India enjoys an advantage in Dubai’s playing conditions following a four-wicket victory against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The 2013 champions became the first team to book their spot in the final after they eased past Australia by five wickets at the same venue on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference, Gambhir stated that these accusations were baseless and devoid of reality. 

"Even if this tournament was held in Pakistan, we would have still gone with two spinners. The idea that we have some kind of edge in Dubai is completely unfounded," he said.

In a harsh tone, Gambhir added that the Indian team hadn’t practiced even a single day at the Dubai International Stadium. Instead, they have trained at the ICC Cricket Academy, which has entirely different conditions from the main venue.

The former cricketer issued a sharp rebuttal to those questioning India’s advantage. “Tell me, when and where has India played a tournament under these current Dubai conditions? I can’t remember," he argued. 

“This criticism is unnecessary and far from the truth," he asserted. 

Gambhir emphasised that Dubai’s conditions are as unfamiliar to India as they are to other teams.  "The pitches here don’t favour us in any special way," he claimed. 

He mentioned that critics often focus on players’ runs and wickets instead of their impact on matches. “As journalists, you look at the numbers and statistics, We analyse the impact a player has on the game. Scoring big runs doesn’t make a player great if it doesn’t influence the outcome of the match," he explained. 

Expressing full confidence in the team, Gambhir said, “Our players have excelled in every department of the game. Each one of them has taken responsibility and shown the hunger to win. But the job isn’t done yet; there’s still one crucial match to win."

Addressing the ongoing criticism of team selection, Gambhir dismissed it outright. “We don’t care about criticism from outsiders. Our focus is solely on the performance of the players and the success of the team."