Rohit Sharma has played down the idea that India have “home” advantage in the Champions Trophy, as the only side playing all their matches at one venue.
The tournament favourites will face Australia at Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday in the first semi-final. It will be their fourth game at the ground in Sports City. If they win, the final will also be played there on Sunday.
The schedule was decided after India’s government ruled their national team would not travel to Pakistan for the competition. It meant all their matches were to be played on neutral territory instead.
Many observers have pointed out the arrangement gives India a substantial advantage because of the familiarity it gives them with the conditions, as well as the fact they do not have to travel.
Every other side has had to travel between venues. The situation even meant that South Africa had to fly to Dubai from Pakistan, only to then have to return 36 hours later once it was decided India would be the group winners, and would instead face Australia in the last four. The Proteas will play New Zealand in the other semi-final in Lahore a day later.
“They [India] are at one place, one hotel, they don’t have to travel,” said Nasser Hussain, the former England captain who is commentating on the tournament.
“They have one dressing room. They know the pitch, they have picked for that pitch.”
Rassie van der Dussen, the South Africa batter, said: “If you can stay in one place, stay in one hotel, practice in the same facilities, play in the same stadium, on the same pitches every time, it’s definitely an advantage. I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to know that.”
India successfully defended 249 in their last group match against New Zealand on Sunday. Nine of the wickets they took fell to spinners, of which they had four.
Matt Henry, the seamer who had taken five wickets for New Zealand, said that strategy was well informed. “I think having that luxury of knowing [the surface], they played to the conditions beautifully,” Henry said. “And that was probably what the challenge was for us.”
But Rohit, India’s captain, played down the idea that his side have any significant advantage, saying they have to adapt as well.
“In the semi-final, we don’t know which pitch is going to be played,” Rohit said.
“Whatever happens, we have to adapt and see what is happening. We will play on that. This is not our home, this is Dubai. We don't play so many matches here. This is new for us, too.”
India comfortably won their opening two matches in Dubai against Bangladesh and Pakistan after bowling first. They then had a similar result against New Zealand having been asked to bat first.
“The three matches we played, the nature of the surface was the same,” Rohit said. “But in all three games, the pitch has behaved differently.
“[Against New Zealand], we saw that when the bowlers were bowling, their ball was swinging a little. We didn't see that in the first two games when our bowlers were bowling.
“And in the evening, it's a little cold, so there are obviously a lot of chances of that swing. We know this.
“But the three games we played, there are four or five surfaces that are being used. Every surface has a different nature. We don't know which wicket will be played.
“The pitches look the same, but when you play on it, it's played in a different way. So, you can't go thinking that we played like this yesterday, and today we'll play like this.”
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
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