Mohammed Shami has emphasized that India's experience with the conditions in Dubai has provided a considerable advantage during their Champions Trophy campaign. The seasoned fast bowler, who was instrumental in India's four-wicket semi-final triumph over Australia, acknowledged that competing at a single venue has benefited the team.

"It certainly aided us because we are familiar with the conditions and the pitch's behavior," Shami remarked, as reported by AFP, following his impressive 3/48 performance that dismantled the Australian batting lineup. "It is advantageous to play all matches at one location."

In a contrasting view, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed strong opposition to the idea of an undue advantage during his post-match press conference after India's victory on Tuesday. Gambhir criticized the critics, stating, "There’s a lot of discussion about supposed advantages. What undue advantage? We haven’t trained here even for a day. Our practice has been at the ICC Academy, and the conditions there are completely different from here."

"The disparity between the pitches there and here is vast. Some individuals are just chronic complainers; they need to mature. Therefore, I believe there was no undue advantage or any premeditated strategy on our part," Gambhir added.

Due to political tensions, India opted not to travel to Pakistan and has played all their matches at the Dubai International Stadium, while other teams have had to navigate between Pakistan and the UAE.

India has effectively leveraged their consistency in these conditions, remaining unbeaten in Dubai with nine victories in their last ten ODIs at the venue. Recently, both South Africa and Australia were required to travel to Dubai due to uncertainty regarding which team would face India in the semi-finals.

India to face winners of SA vs NZ

India is set to compete against either South Africa or New Zealand in the final on Sunday, once again in Dubai, where they will benefit from their familiarity with the venue. Having maintained an impeccable record throughout the tournament, the team aims to continue their supremacy and secure a second consecutive ICC title under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.

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