Mumbai, March 5: Head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday said India did not have any unfair advantage after being stationed in Dubai, saying his side did not even hold a training session at the venue after arriving here for the Champions Trophy. India played all their matches at the DICS, and entered the final of the ICC marquee event with an all-win record. Hardik Pandya's Massive Six During IND vs AUS Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Final Hits Window at Dubai International Stadium, Ball Fielded by ICC Chairman Jay Shah (Watch Video).

"I know, there's a lot of debate about the undue advantage. But what is an undue advantage? First of all, this is as much of a neutral venue for us as it is for any other team. I don't remember which tournament we played in this stadium last time," Gambhir said in the post-match press meet after India defeated Australia by four wickets in the semifinals.

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"We haven't practiced here even for a day. We practiced in the ICC Academy. The conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. Some people are just perpetual cribbers. So, I feel we didn't have any undue advantage," he added.

Gambhir also said India did not plan to play four spinners or did not even pick them based on any prior knowledge of the conditions.

"The plan was that if you pick two spinners in a 15-member squad, then if we play in Pakistan or anywhere else, we'll pick two spinners because this is a competition on a subcontinent. So, we didn't plan to play any spinners. If you look at it, we've only played two or three spinners in the last two matches and the rest were all all-rounders," he added. Virat Kohli Makes Adorable Gesture to Wife Anushka Sharma After India Enter ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final With 4-Wicket Victory Over Australia (Watch Video).

Skipper Rohit Sharma once again played a cameo and got out for a quick 29-ball 28, but Gambhir lauded him for showing the right intent.

"If your team plays with this kind of tempo, it just gives a very good signal to the dressing room that we want to be absolutely fearless and courageous. You evaluate with the stats, we evaluate with the impact. As journalists, as experts, you only look at the numbers, not the averages. But as a coach, as a team, we don't look at numbers or averages. If the captain puts his hand up first, nothing is more interesting than that," he added.

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