Ricky Ponting recently shared his thoughts on the Indian cricket team playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. The former Australian captain highlighted how playing all their matches at a single venue could give India an advantage and even labelled them as favourites in the Champions Trophy semi-final against Australia. Previously, England legends Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain had also pointed out the potential advantage India might hold with the scheduling. While Indian captain Rohit Sharma dismissed these claims, Ponting has now joined the conversation. Speaking on the latest edition of The ICC Review, Ponting said: "The fact that they're playing in the venue where they've played their games. They haven't had to move and travel. They've been training on those wickets all the time. Australia have rushed into Dubai to get ready for the game." Also Read: Watch: Anshul Kamboj's yorkers to Dhoni at CSK camp Ponting further expressed his belief that India would enter the semi-final as favourites. "I think India are going to start as favourites in this game. I don't think there's any doubt about that with what they've done in the tournament so far. But I will never tip against the Australian team; these are the moments where they play their best cricket." India have high-quality players to step up: Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting also spoke about how India recovered against New Zealand during their 44-run win in their final league match. Former Australian skipper said: "They had to find a way to stay in the game. They bat deep. Even when they are in trouble, they have high-quality players to step up." India and Australia are set to face off in yet another ICC knockout match following their encounter in the 2023 World Cup final. When asked if the Indian team might still be haunted by that loss, Ponting dismissed it and suggested that India could even use it as motivation for the upcoming clash. He added: "You would hope that would be left behind in the dressing room that night. They have got a lot of experience, a different coach. Maybe they haven't even talked about it, or maybe they use it as motivation." In the 2023 Men's World Cup final, India suffered a six-wicket defeat to Australia. Despite putting up a total of 240 runs, India failed to defend it as Australia chased down the target comfortably. India will be keen to turn the tables this time around.