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New Zealand's veteran batter Kane Williamson has given his blunt verdict on the fuss around India's venue advantage in Dubai in the ongoing Champions Trophy. India and New Zealand will lock horns with each other in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final which is slated to be played on March 9 at the Dubai International cricket stadium. Meanwhile, right ahead of the high-voltage Champions Trophy final, Kane Williamson has downplayed India's undue advantage in the Dubai International Stadium. He said that dwelling on factors beyond their control, such as venue familiarity, would be unproductive. Instead, Williamson stressed the importance of his team focusing on delivering a strong performance regardless of the location. The former New Zealand captain admitted India's formidable nature, recognising their ability to pose a big threat in any playing conditions.
Kane Williamson's bold take on India's undue advantage in Champions Trophy
New Zealand stormed into the Champions Trophy final riding on their commanding 50-run win over South Africa in the Champions Trophy semifinal which was fueled by Williamson and Rachin Ravindra's centuries. This sets up a rematch against India, who defeated them earlier in the group stage. During the post-match press conference, Williamson addressed concerns about India's perceived advantage in Dubai.
"Yeah definitely the conditions are a lot different but you know that's sort of the nature of the beast I think in any tournament that you have, conditions change a little bit throughout. For us, it was nice to have that last match against India. There's some really good bits there. India are an outstanding team and playing really well. So, look, it's important we try and take away some learnings from that last game. Park this match, and in a final, anything can happen. And it was a great atmosphere last game and I'm sure it'll be a good one again," Williamson said.
"It is what it is (India playing in Dubai). Our focus is the next match, the location of that match, the opposition, they're all factors. Obviously, we played India there once. The conditions are different, so it's important that we try and take away some of those positives and be nice and clear in how we're trying to operate come two- or three-days’ time in the final. It's the nature of it and we're looking forward to the final and excited about it," Williamson further added.
India dominated New Zealand in their final Group A match on the spin-friendly Dubai pitch. India's spinners, particularly Varun Chakravarthy with his five-wicket haul, proved decisive in dismantling New Zealand's batting lineup, even though Williamson contributed a resilient 81 runs. As the final is scheduled for the same venue on March 9, New Zealand will need to develop a strategy to counter India's potent spin attack.
