Rassie van der Dussen Rassie van der Dussen South Africa batsman Rassie van der Dussen believes India have an obvious advantage in the Champions Trophylogame, being able to play their matches in the UAE. (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
While South Africa have not yet qualified for the semi-final, Van der Dussen believes "you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know" that the ability to train and play in one place instead of travelling between countries gives them a clear edge.
He and his team-mates face already-eliminated England in their final group game on Saturday, hoping to book their place in the final four.
"It's definitely an advantage. I saw that Pakistan was commenting about it, but it's definitely an advantage," said Van der Dussen. "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. The onus would be on them to use that advantage. In a sense, it puts more pressure on them, because whoever is going to play them in the semi, or potentially the final, is going to go there, and the conditions are going to be foreign, but they [India] are going to be used to it.
"The pressure would be on them to get it right because they have all that knowledge."
India's Champions Trophy games are being held in Dubai after the players were refused permission by their government to travel to Pakistan, and it was ruled that they should play at a neutral venue.
Tournament hosts Pakistan also travelled to Dubai to face India earlier in the tournament and the agreement will be reciprocal for events held in India until at least 2027.
Pakistan's head coach played down the assumption that India would have the upper hand.
A crucial encounter on the Champions Trophy card! South Africa is set for another blockbuster clash with England in their last group match.With the bolstering return to action of Heinrich Klaasen, the Proteas look to march into battle on Saturday .… pic.twitter.com/BrD8eFRO1l
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— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) February 26, 2025"See,66br they are in Dubai for a reason," he said. "If they are playing in Dubai for a reason, definitely, if you play on the same pitch or ground, you will have an advantage.
"But we are not losing because they had the advantage of the same hotel and pitch. It's not just because of the pitch, and neither did they play some 10 matches there."
Absent Australian captain Pat Cummins, meanwhile, saw things the same way as Van der Dussen.
Australia are in Group B alongside South Africa, England and Afghanistan, though will travel to the UAE if they face India in any later rounds.
"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 Sports Australia.
Should South Africa qualify for the Champions Trophy semi-finals, they will face either India in Dubai on Tuesday or New Zealand in Lahore on Wednesday, though the group placing will not be known until after facing England.
Asked which he would prefer, Van der Dussen indicated that he would like to stay in Pakistan.
"If it's a personal thing, I would say playing in Lahore because it's just good to bat there. The Dubai pitch is not as high-scoring as the Lahore [pitch], but no, I don't think it really matters," he said.
"Probably logistically it will be easier to play in Lahore. You don't have to go through an international flight and go to Dubai and literally go to another country to play. Lahore is not too far from where we are at the moment [Karachi], so conditions are fairly similar.
joganh0"It's literally one of those thingslogame, we don't know what's going to happen until Saturday evening."