India’s place in the Champions Trophy semi-final is all but confirmed. Rohit Sharma and his men have been inevitable so far, registering crushing wins over neighbours Bangladesh and arch-rivals Pakistan last week in Dubai. If results go their way, India’s final group game against New Zealand on Sunday might only be a warm-up for both teams ahead of the knockout stage. After refusing to play in Pakistan, citing security concerns, India are playing their matches at the Dubai International Stadium under a hybrid model.
However, Australia captain Pat Cummins feels playing all of their games in Dubai gives India an advantage. Cummins decided to skip the Champions Trophy to be at home for the birth of his second child – daughter Edi – and rest a niggling ankle injury.
“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 will be back in action next month, leading SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), starting March 22.
Cummins guided SRH all the way 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, so I will 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 reflected on his decision to skip the Champions Trophy.
In his absence, Steve Smith is leading the side. Australia won their opening game against arch-rivals England in Lahore, chasing 352 on the back of Josh Inglis‘ unbeaten 120 (86).
Cummins was full of praise for the England-born Australian batter. “It feels like this was his breakout performance. He’s so dynamic against spin in the middle but also uses the reverse ramps against high-speed bowling. He’s all class. He’s now got hundreds in all three formats and stood up in a big tournament like the Champions Trophy. He’s been made to wait, but he’s ready. Come the next Test match, it’s going to be tough to distil 15 players down to 11.”
