Players of India stands for their national anthem before the start of ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) Players of India stands for their national anthem before the start of ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

New Zealand off-spinner Michael Bracewell on Friday brushed aside any talks about India getting an unfair advantage in the ongoing Champions Trophy by playing all their games in Dubaigtjogo, simply saying that his team was "excited to try and play in different conditions". (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)

Rohit Sharma's team is playing all its matches in Dubai, and even the final will be held here if India goes the distance.

New Zealand will be playing their first match of the tournament here -- against India on Sunday -- after their last two games were held in Pakistan.

Some cricketers, including South African top-order batter Rassie van der Dussen and former Australia skipper Pat Cummins, have said India are in an advantageous position as they have played all their games at one venue while other teams have had to travel to different venues in Pakistan.

India had refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament citing security reasons.

Afghanistan made just one change from its dominant six-wicket win in the first game of the three-match series and brought in batter Ikram Alikhil in place of allrounder Gulbadin Naib.

So, it was quite natural to expect two modern-day greats Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to rip through Bangladesh's batting line-up at Chepauk to keep up with the tradition.

"Look, it is what it is. It's been decided, and that's the way it is, and there's no point dwelling on that," said Bracewell, when asked if India have unfair advantage in Dubai.

"It's part of what makes it exciting. I personally think it's coming to a different ground and trying to figure out those different conditions. Yeah, not much more to say on that other than we're excited to try and learn and play in different conditions," added the 34-year-old off-spinner.

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The New Zealander opined that the pitches here would aid spin and it would be a good idea to train hard before the game against India.

"The wickets here have looked like they've taken a bit of a spin. So,66br Cassinos ao Vivo Brasil it'll be good to try and get used to the wickets as quickly as we can. We've obviously enjoyed the pitches in Pakistan.

"And I think we've got a pretty well-balanced side to play in any condition. So hopefully, we can continue to do that and adjust to what's in front of us. I think that's been the strength of our side, adjusting to the surface. So, hopefully, we continue to do that as a side," he added.

He said New Zealand doing consistently well against India in ICC tournaments was because of his players not putting themselves under pressure. New Zealand recently inflicted a humiliating 3-0 Test defeat on India, becoming the first touring side to seal a series win in India in 13 years.

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He said the Test series win would give the Black Caps confidence going into Sunday's game.

"I think we don't like to put too much pressure on ourselves. Obviously, coming off a great Test series win, it gives us a lot of confidence that we can, and we've got a really good record against India in ICC events.

"So, I think we like to take the game, just game by game, and not try and let the moment get to us. It's worked well for us in the past. We just try and play our style of cricket and our brand of cricket, and it seems to be a good match-up so far," he said.

He added that contrary to perception that it was an inconsequential match, New Zealand would take the game against India seriously. Both India and New Zealand have qualified for the semifinals, and the result of Sunday's match will determine which team tops the group.

"No, it's definitely an important game for us. Anytime you take on India at an ICC eventgtjogo, it's always a big occasion. We're excited about the game. And obviously, if you can win the game, then it takes a lot of momentum through to that semifinal," he said.