India head coach Gautam Gambhir put a full stop to the debate of India getting undue advantage of playing in a single venue in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy, stating the Men in Blue didn’t train at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India defeated Australia to enter the Champions Trophy final to be played on March 9.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday slammed critics for claiming that India have an ‘undue advantage’ due to them playing all Champions Trophy 2025 games at the same venue and told the ‘perpetual cribbers’ to ‘grow up.’ India advanced to the final of the tournament with a four-wicket victory over Australia at the Dubai International Stadium.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir hit out at critics after India reached the final of the Champions Trophy on Tuesday, March 4. Gautam Gambhir slammed the people who have taken a veiled dig at India for playing the tournament at the same venue.
The Rohit Sharma-led side has played all four games at the same venue, whereas other teams have had to travel from Pakistan to the Middle East to face India due to the Indian government’s refusal to allow the team to travel to Pakistan for their matches, causing uproar among fans of the other competing nations.
ICC under fire over scheduling conflicts in ICC Champions Trophy 2025
The ICC is facing huge criticism over the scheduling of the Champions Trophy 2025 with Sir Vivian Richards demanding answers for the chaotic travel logistics for the semifinalists. The scheduling issues came to surface when both Australia and South Africa were trapped in travelling confusion and were forced to travel to Dubai to determine their semifinal opponents, exposing a major flaw in the tournament’s planning.
Australia and South Africa were both forced to fly to Dubai to determine their semifinal opponents, highlighting the logistical absurdities of the tournament’s scheduling.
The confusion stemmed from India playing all their matches in Dubai, meaning their final group-stage fixture against New Zealand on Sunday would dictate the semifinal lineup. With Australia’s clash against Afghanistan washed out, their qualification was sealed, but their opponent remained uncertain.
The confusion arose because all of India’s matches were played in Dubai and their final group stage match against New Zealand decided the final Champions Trophy semifinal clash. Depending on the outcome of India vs New Zealand, one of these teams would face India in the semifinals, while the other, along with New Zealand, would have to return to Pakistan for their knockout clash.
South Africa, having convincingly defeated England, topped Group B and also found themselves on a flight to Dubai. Depending on Sunday’s result, one of these teams will face India in the semis, while the other, along with New Zealand, will have to return to Pakistan.
The controversy over India’s fixed location in Dubai has been a persistent talking point throughout the tournament. Former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton have also questioned the advantage of India avoiding travel while other teams shuttle between venues
With India playing all their matches of the competition in Dubai, the final will also be at the Dubai International Stadium provided Rohit Sharma’s team makes the summit clash. With the final also scheduled in Dubai – provided India makes it to the summit clash – critics argue that the ICC has failed to ensure a level playing field. The logistical mess faced by Australia and South Africa has only intensified scrutiny.
Riding on Virat Kohli’s 84, Shreyas Iyer (45), K.L. Rahul (42 not out), and Hardik Pandya (28 off 24 balls) gave the finishing touches to India’s chase of 265 to progress to the final of the eight-team competition.
So far in the tournament, wicketkeeper batter K.L. Rahul has not had much of an impact on the scoreboard, registering 83 runs across three innings, not getting a chance to bat against Pakistan, but has remained unbeaten on two occasions showcasing his ability to drag the team over the line.
After India made the final on Tuesday in the Champions Trophy, with a thrilling win against Australia in the semifinal, head coach Gautam Gambhir had a word or two to say against the criticism the team has faced for playing all their matches at the same venue – Dubai. Calling them “perpetual cribbers,” Gautam Gambhir lashed out at the critics in a fiery post-match presser at the Dubai International Stadium.
India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir Blasts Critics, Rejects ‘Undue Advantage’ Claim in CT 2025
India‘s impressive run in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025 has led to claim that the Rohit Sharma-led side has an ‘advantage’ since they are playing at a single venue and have a better grasp of the conditions than others. As per the Hybrid Model, India are playing all their matches of the tournament in Dubai while the rest of the games hosted across three cities in Pakistan.
The likes of Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Pat Cummins, Rassie van der Dussen among others have said that the Indian team is benefitting by having all their games at a single venue in addition to not having to travel either.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has called out ‘perpetual cribbers’ while claiming that Dubai is a neutral venue for his team as it is for others, and he cannot recall the last time they played a tournament at this stadium.
“I know, there’s a lot of debate about the undue advantage,” Gautam Gambhir said during a media interaction following India’s win over Australia in the Champions Trophy semifinal on Tuesday night.
“But what is an undue advantage? First of all, this is as much of a neutral venue for us as it is for any other team. I don’t remember which tournament we played in this stadium last time.”
“We haven’t practiced here even for a day. We practiced in the ICC Academy. The conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. Some people are just perpetual cribbers. So, I feel we didn’t have any undue advantage,” he added.
India packed their squad with spin bowling options, but Gautam Gambhir claims it wasn’t a pre-planned move and that their have just two specialist spinners while others are allrounders.
“The plan was that if you pick two spinners in a 15-member squad, then if we play in Pakistan or anywhere else, we’ll pick two spinners because this is a competition on a subcontinent. So, we didn’t plan to play any spinners. If you look at it, we’ve only played two or three spinners in the last two matches and the rest were all all-rounders,” Gautam Gambhir said.
India will now await the result of the second semifinal on Wednesday as they gear up for the summit clash in Dubai on Sunday. India will play the winner of the second semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa, set to be played in Lahore on Wednesday, in the final on March 9.