
India playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai was a pre-tournament decision and the talk of unfair advantage is baseless, the team鈥檚 batting coach said on Friday.
Rohit Sharma鈥檚 team face New Zealand in the title clash on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, where India have been unbeaten in four matches.
India refused to tour hosts Pakistan in the eight-nation tournament due to political tensions and were given Dubai as their venue in the United Arab Emirates.
鈥楾he draw that happened, it happened before,鈥� batting coach Sitanshu Kotak told reporters. 鈥楢fter India winning four matches, if people feel that there is an advantage, then I don鈥檛 know what to say about it.鈥�
The tournament鈥檚 tangled schedule, with teams flying in and out of the UAE from Pakistan while India have stayed put, has been hugely controversial.
South Africa batsman David Miller said 鈥榠t was not an ideal situation鈥� for his team to fly in to Dubai to wait on India鈥檚 semi-final opponent and then fly back to Lahore in less than 24 hours.
Even nominal hosts Pakistan had to jump on a jet and fly to Dubai to play India, rather than face them on home soil.
The pitches have been vastly different in the two countries.
Pakistan tracks produced big totals, in contrast to the slow and turning decks of the Dubai stadium.
鈥楨nd of the day, I think in a game, you have to play good cricket every day when you turn up,鈥� the 52-year-old Kotak said. 鈥楽o the only thing they (critics) may say is that we play here. But that is how the draw is.鈥�
鈥楽o nothing else can happen in that. It is not that after coming here, they changed something and we got an advantage,鈥� he added.
India have been the team to beat after they topped Group A, which had New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
They then beat Australia in the first semi-final.
New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, lost the last group game to India by 44 runs before they beat South Africa in the second semi-final in Lahore.
Kotak said the previous result between the two teams will have no bearing on their mindset going into the final.
鈥楾hat depends how the New Zealand team thinks, but I think we should not think that,鈥� said Kotak.
鈥榃e should just try and turn up and play a good game of cricket because there is no use thinking about the last match.鈥�
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said they are not too worried about India鈥檚 advantage.
鈥業 mean, look, the decision around that鈥檚 out of our hands,鈥� said Stead.
鈥楽o, it鈥檚 not something we worry about too much. India have got to play all their games here in Dubai. But as you said, we have had a game here and we鈥檒l learn very quickly from that experience there as well.鈥�
鈥楢nd if we鈥檙e good enough to beat India on Sunday, then I鈥檓 sure we鈥檒l be very, very happy,鈥� he added.