Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa tried to unravel the fears around “Dubai advantage”, they have been hearing off on the ongoing Champions Trophy and the reason why not to unequip to Pakistan. A common criticism, supported even by some disgruntled ex-players is that Rohit Sharma has a huge leg up since they had played all theirs matches in Dubai. Uthappa put the debate to bed, saying in the end, its always about the skills. He said “Had we played in Pakistan then weather conditions may have been different, but in the end, which team plays better cricket?”
Uthappa Defends India’s Decision To Play In Dubai, Dismisses Unfair Advantage Claims
Robin Uthappa stood up to defend the decision by India to play all their group fixtures in Dubai, stating that tour to Pakistan was a geopolitical decision and India must stick with this proper decision for future. He slammed the equal playing field comments, saying India could have brought to the fore positives of playing in Pakistan “When we didn’t go to Pakistan . Those are geopolitical issues. Every country has a right. If they don’t want then they mustn’t. Uthappa added that “we could have said if we had played in Pakistan, our record scores would have been fantastic.”
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Uthappa Highlights Familiarity Over Home Advantage In Dubai
Robin Uthappa added that India’s win in Dubai was more because of the familiarity with the conditions than it being a home match. If India would have played all their matches in Lahore, he says they would have had almost the same edge because the pitches there do not change very much. He said that “I won’t call it a home advantage, but there is definitely a familiarity advantage.” In an interview, he added that “Wasim Jaffer mentioned that if he played in Dubai, he could have played in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah too, so other teams wouldn’t complain about the situation.”
