Gambhir, Shami's conflicting statements on 'Dubai advantage' spark 'Mahabharat' analogy: 'If Krishna is on your side...'
Mohammed Shami and Gautam Gambhir had rather conflicting statements on whether India had an advantage of playing all of their matches in Dubai.
India stormed into the final of the Champions Trophy 2025, extending their dominance in Dubai with a brilliant four-wicket victory over Australia in the semi-final. Led by Mohammed Shami’s stellar 3/48 spell and Virat Kohli's match-winning 84-run knock, the Men in Blue maintained their unbeaten run at the Dubai International Stadium.
However, India’s success at a single venue has reignited the debate over whether playing all their matches in Dubai has given them an undue advantage. While veteran pacer Shami acknowledged the benefits of familiarity with the conditions, head coach Gautam Gambhir outright dismissed the notion, leading to a difference in opinion within the camp.
“It definitely helped us because we know the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch,” Shami said, as quoted by AFP. “It is a plus point that you are playing all the matches at one venue.”
Gambhir, however, took a contrasting stance when addressing the media.
“There’s a lot of debate about the undue advantage and all that. What undue advantage? We haven’t practiced here even for a day. We’re practicing at the ICC Academy. And the conditions there and here are 180 degrees different,” Gambhir said.
“If you look at the wickets there and here, the difference is between the ground and the sky. Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man. They’ve got to grow up. So, I feel that there was nothing like we had any undue advantage or we had planned something like that.”
Aakash Chopra reacts
Amid these conflicting statements, former India batter Aakash Chopra weighed in on the debate. Reacting to both Shami and Gambhir’s comments, Chopra acknowledged that while playing all matches at one venue does not provide a game-breaking advantage, it does allow teams to adapt better to conditions.
“Mohammed Shami is saying that they have an advantage of playing in Dubai. Gautam Gambhir is saying, ‘What advantage, you just keep cribbing in life, look ahead.’ However, who is saying the right thing? Is there an actual advantage or not? We are playing all our matches in Dubai,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra dissected the debate from two angles, pointing out that while constant travel between Pakistan and UAE can add to fatigue, it is not the defining factor in winning or losing games.
“There are two aspects to it. One is the problem because of travel. Is it a problem? I won’t say that you lose only because you have had to travel more. I am not denying that there is fatigue, but it’s not make or break. You are playing international cricket,” he said.
Chopra further emphasised that the real advantage comes from understanding the pitch and conditions, which helps in team selection.
“Being at one place is not much of an advantage, but there is an advantage because of the conditions. These conditions are suiting you. You can choose your 11 or 15 according to that. Mahabharat taught us one thing. If Krishna is on your side, that’s it, it’s over. The right selection is extremely important.”
