Australia’s regular captain, Pat Cummins, has pointed out India’s advantage in the 2025 Champions Trophy, stating that playing all their matches at a single venue gives them an edge. The 2023 World Cup-winning skipper believes the Men in Blue benefit from consistent conditions in Dubai.
The Rohit Sharma-led team is playing all its games in Dubai after refusing to travel to Pakistan due to ongoing geopolitical tensions. India has already secured a semifinal spot with identical six-wicket wins over Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In contrast, other teams must play across three venues in Pakistan—Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi—adjusting their lineups based on different conditions. Additionally, they have to travel to Dubai for matches against India. Commenting on the matter, Cummins told Yahoo Australia (as quoted by The New Indian Express):
“I think it’s good in that the tournament can go on, but obviously it does give them (India) a huge advantage playing on the same ground. They already look very strong and they’ve got that obvious benefit of playing all their games there.”
“Should Be Ready for IPL” – Pat Cummins Targets SunRisers Hyderabad Return After Ankle Injury
Pat Cummins is targeting a return with SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025 after recovering from a left ankle injury sustained in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which sidelined him from the Champions Trophy. The 31-year-old stated (via Yahoo Australia):
“The ankle is starting to come good. “It’s a funny one –- it’s not like a hamstring where you need six weeks (to recover). It’s one of those ones where it really just needs a bit (more) rest to settle down.”
“Physically it’s quite a nice build-up for the World Test Championship final, and then the Test matches after that. That’s the aim at this stage -– start bowling over the next week or so, building up, and should be right for IPL,” he added.
In Pat Cummins’ absence, Steve Smith is captaining Australia in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The team started strong, defeating England by five wickets in their opening match in Lahore, successfully chasing a record tournament total of 352.
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