India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak dismisses claims that playing in Dubai gives India any unfair advantage.
Nagpur, India - February 6, 2025: India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak have played a crucial role in leading the team to the Champions Trophy final. Kotak stated that India playing all their matches in Dubai was a pre-determined decision, and any claims of unfair advantage are baseless.
Sitanshu Kotak said:
"The draw was decided beforehand. If people think that winning four matches gives us an advantage, I don’t know what to say about that."
Final Against New Zealand
Led by Rohit Sharma, India is facing New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final today at Dubai International Stadium, where they have remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.
India was allowed to play in the United Arab Emirates instead of traveling to Pakistan due to political tensions. However, many critics argue that staying in Dubai has given India an unfair advantage, while other teams had to travel between Pakistan and the UAE.
South African batter David Miller commented:
"This was not an ideal situation for our team. We had to travel to Dubai, wait for India’s semifinal opponent, and then fly back to Lahore within 24 hours."
Even Pakistan, the tournament's official host, had to fly to Dubai to play against India instead of facing them on home soil.
"No Unfair Advantage" - Kotak
Sitanshu Kotak emphasized that India's success is not solely due to playing in Dubai but also because of their superior performance.
"At the end of the day, you have to play good cricket every time you step onto the field. People can say that we are playing in Dubai, but that was already part of the tournament structure. It’s not like the rules were changed after we arrived here."
New Zealand’s Strategy
New Zealand’s head coach Gary Stead also spoke about the situation:
"This decision was out of our hands. We have also played a game in Dubai, and we will quickly learn from that experience. If we are good enough to beat India today, we will be very, very happy."
India topped Group A after defeating New Zealand, Pakistan, and Bangladesh and then won the semifinal against Australia. New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, lost to India by 44 runs in the group stage but bounced back by defeating South Africa in the semifinals.
Sitanshu Kotak said:
"It depends on how the New Zealand team sees it, but we should not think about the previous match. The only thing that matters is playing good cricket today."
Conclusion
The final between India and New Zealand is expected to be an exciting contest, as both teams fight to lift the Champions Trophy 2025.
India has remained unbeaten so far, but New Zealand is determined to pull off an upset. By the end of today, the world will know who will be crowned the Champions Trophy 2025 winner – will India continue its dominance, or will New Zealand make history?
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