 "India vs Australia semi-final pitch report: Dry fresh pitch expected to play the same way in Dubai")
Team India has faced massive criticism for playing all their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai, but for the unversed, it’s important to mention that all three matches so far have been played on different pitches. India’s upcoming semi-final against Australia will also be played on a new pitch; in fact, it will be played on a completely fresh pitch, which has not been used yet, reported Cricbuzz.
Champions Trophy 2025: News | Schedule | Results | Points Table
Though India were asked to play on three different pitches during their three group games, those pitches were not new and had been reused after ILT20 matches took place on them. This could be a major reason that pitches got slower with every match and spinners enjoyed a massive edge over the pacers.
Rohit Sharma slams Team India critics
However, the India vs Australia semi-final will be played on a completely new pitch which has not been used earlier. The pitch has been curated by Matthew Sandery, an Australian who is the chief curator. The pitches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) are being curated by him under the aegis of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), the host country. Sandery is also the chief curator at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Academy in Dubai.
Team India captain Rohit Sharma had a strong retort when asked about the so-called advantage the Men in Blue are enjoying by playing all their matches in Dubai.
“This is not our home, this is Dubai. So, we don’t play so many matches here. This is new for us too,” Rohit said on the eve of the match .
India vs Australia semi-final pitch report
Australia captain Steve Smith said the pitch looks dry and suggested it will continue to assist the spinners.
“Obviously the whole square block is pretty dry. Having spoken to the groundsman just now, a dry surface had a lot of traffic, so we’ve seen how the wickets have played,” Smith said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAs explained by Smith, even though it’s a new pitch at Dubai, it’s expected to help spinners and slow down with time, however, there will be assistance for pacers in the first innings, with the ball coming to the bat much faster.
We still expect the team winning the toss to bat first, as there has been no dew advantage while batting second in Dubai.
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