While Team England, and to some extent Australia, harped about how India had an advantage over the other teams for playing all their matches in Dubai, New Zealand isn’t much bothered about it. Kiwi all-rounder Michael Bracewell went to say during the press conference on Friday, that since it was already decided, there was no point talking about it.
India’s Advantage in Champions Trophy 2025?
The decision to play all matches in Dubai came after India’s refusal to play their matches of Champions Trophy, in host nation Pakistan. “Look, it is what it is. It’s been already decided, and that’s the way that it is, and there’s no point dwelling on that. It’s part of what makes it exciting.
“I personally think it is that coming to a different ground and trying to figure out those different conditions. Not much more to say on that, other than we’re excited to try and learn and play in different conditions,” said Bracewell.
Meanwhile, the IND vs NZ match will mark Virat Kohli’s 300th ODI match, and will join the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and other greats, who have achieved this landmark. “That’s obviously a massive achievement. 300 games across a career is very impressive, and to put that in just one format is amazing. It’s a testament to the way that he’s gone about his career.”
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“I saw it first-hand at RCB – how he prepared for each match, and it’s very impressive. He’s one of a number of class players in the Indian line-up, and they’ve all played a lot of cricket now. So, they’re going to be a challenging team to come up against, but we’re really excited about that challenge,” added Bracewell.
Now, the challenge for the Kiwis would be to adapt to the Dubai wicket, and that could really be an advantage to Team India. “The wickets here have looked like they’ve taken a bit of a spin. We’ve obviously enjoyed the pitches in Pakistan, and I think we’ve got a pretty well-balanced side to play in any conditions. So hopefully we can continue to do that and adjust to what’s in front of us.”
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