The matches to be played in the present encounter between India and New Zealand, who are playing the final game in Group A, will determine the semi-finalists of the Champions Trophy 2025. The table-toppers in Group B, South Africa, are still awaiting the outcome of the India vs. New Zealand match to find out their opponent on March 5.
India’s advantage of playing at one location for the duration of the ICC event has been hotly debated in the current edition.
The South African fast bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen is one of the athletes who has spoken out on this subject. According to the left-arm bowler, it won’t really matter if India plays all of their matches in Dubai because the team who performs best on the day wins.
“Obviously, they have had training and such, so they will be better accustomed to the circumstances if we play in Dubai against India. However, we’ve performed in Dubai before, so it’s nothing new. We’re really, incredibly good at spin. Therefore, it’s not that much of an advantage, in my opinion. According to Marco Jansen, who performs better on the day is what matters most, the Times of India reported.
Marco Jansen during his England match
The speedster also discussed his performance in the most recent match against England, where he won Player of the Match for his outstanding seven-over bowling spell of 3/39, which broke the backbone of the English batting unit and ultimately made it easy for the Proteas to win in a formality.
“Obviously, there wasn’t much in the air, but I was hoping for some swing. At first, there was a slight nip, but as the ball grew older, there wasn’t much of a departure from the wicket. For me, it was simply supporting my options, which is most likely hitting hard and erring on the shorter side rather than the fuller. Going out and bowling with good intentions is all that matters to us because, when you bowl with good intentions, you tend to have more energy on the ball and things usually happen,” Jansen continued.