Pat Cummins Calls Out India’s ‘Unfair Venue Advantage’ In Champions Trophy 2025
India’s dominance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 continues, with Rohit Sharma and his team securing convincing victories over Bangladesh and Pakistan in Dubai. With their place in the semi-finals all but confirmed, their final group-stage clash against New Zealand on Sunday could serve as little more than a warm-up before the knockouts.
However, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins has voiced concerns over India playing all their matches in Dubai, citing it as an “advantage.” India had opted out of playing in Pakistan due to security concerns, leading to a hybrid model where they are stationed at the Dubai International Stadium for all their games.
“I think it’s good 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,” Cummins told Yahoo Sport Australia.
Cummins, who opted out of the Champions Trophy to be with his family for the birth of his second child and to recover from an ankle injury, will return to action in the IPL 2025, leading SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). He guided SRH to the final last season, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
“It’s been nice to be at home with everything going on, and the ankle rehab is tracking well. I’ll start running and bowling this week. There’s the IPL next month, and then we’ve got the Test World Championship and a tour to the West Indies, so there’s a lot to look forward to,” Cummins added.
In his absence, Steve Smith has taken charge of the Australian squad. Under his leadership, Australia secured a thrilling win over England in Lahore, chasing 352 runs, with Josh Inglis playing a match-winning knock of 120* off 86 balls.
Cummins praised Inglis’ performance, calling it a “breakout moment” for the talented batter. “He’s so dynamic against spin in the middle but also uses the reverse ramps against high-speed bowling. He’s now got hundreds in all three formats and stood up in a big tournament like the Champions Trophy. It’s going to be tough to distill 15 players down to 11 in the next Test match,” Cummins said.
As the Champions Trophy progresses, India’s consistency and Australia’s rising form set the stage for an exciting knockout phase.
Stay informed on all the , real-time updates, and follow all the important headlines in and on Zee News.