Australia Tests and ODI captain Pat Cummins gave his honest take on Team India playing their all matches in Dubai in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025. The Men in Blue officially qualified for the semifinal after defeating Bangladesh and arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage and these two matches took place at the Dubai International Stadium. Ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) request to shift India matches to a neutral venue, with Dubai being the host venue for all the fixtures of the Men in Blue. Despite Pakistan being an official host of the marquee event, the BCCI was adamant in its refusal to send the team India to Pakistan due to security concerns. Thus, Pakistan and Bangladesh had to travel to Dubai to play matches against India. New Zealand will be travelling to Dubai to face India on March 2. Also read: Champions Trophy: Pakistan knocked out after New Zealand's win against Bangladesh; Netizens spark meme festThe ICC’s decisions led to criticism from many cricket experts and some sections of cricket fraternity, as many felt that Team India playing all their matches in Dubai would give them a significant advantage, given that they would be accustomed to the conditions throughout the tournament. During an interaction with Yahoo News Australia, Pat Cummins was asked about the criticism over Team India getting an advantage to play all their matches in Dubai. Australia skipper stated that the Men in Blue’s advantage of playing in Dubai is significant, given that it strengthens an already strong team by playing at the same venue. “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. This was not the first time India were given a neutral venue to play all their matches after the BCCI decided not to send the team to Pakistan. During the Asia Cup 2023, the Men in Blue’s matches were shifted to Sri Lanka under a hybrid after the BCCI refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns. India played their group stage matches at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium before playing their Super Four matches and the Final at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Despite India not traveling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023, Babar Azam-led Men in Green toured India for the ODI World Cup 2023, where they had an early exit from the tournament after finishing sixth in the league stage. Pat Cummins was ruled out of the Champions Trophy 2025 due to ankle soreness, which worsened during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Despite an ankle issue, the 31-year-old still played the entire Test series against India and led the team to clinch the BGT title for the first time. Apart from recovering from an ankle injury, Cummins is also spending time with his family as his wife recently gave birth to a baby girl. Speaking on his recovery and return to action, Pat Cummins said, “It's been great to be at home during this time, and my ankle rehab is going well. I'll start running and bowling this week, and there’s a lot to look forward to with the IPL, the Test Championship, and the West Indies tour."Australia are without three main bowlers in the Champions Trophy 2025, including Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. However, the Aussies kicked off their campaign with a win over England, thanks to Josh Inglis’ blistering century in Lahore. Also read: ENG vs AFG, Champions Trophy 2025: Big blow for England as Brydon Carse ruled out with toe injury