The discussion around whether India has an ‘unfair advantage’ in the ICC Champions Trophy is getting louder. Many cricket experts and players are pointing out that the tournament’s format seems to favor India because they are playing in Dubai. This arrangement was made between the International Cricket Council, the Pakistan Cricket Board, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India. India was originally supposed to play all its matches in Dubai. Now that India is in the final, some people think their success is more due to the format than how well they’ve played.
However, veteran Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara thinks this whole discussion is a bit insincere. He says nobody complained when the tournament schedule was decided. Pujara believes India’s success comes from the team’s overall balance, not just the familiar playing conditions.
‘I don’t think it’s an unfair advantage,’ Pujara said in an interview. ‘The schedule was announced before the Champions Trophy started. The reason India isn’t playing in Pakistan is security. The ICC and BCCI worked together to find a neutral place. India has played Pakistan in neutral venues before, and the UAE is geographically close to Pakistan.’
‘If India had lost, nobody would be saying it’s because they played in Dubai. I don’t consider Dubai a home ground for India. India’s advantage is the amount of talent they have and the number of all-rounders in the team,’ Pujara explained.
Pujara praised the team for including five spin bowlers in the squad for Dubai. He believes this decision has been key to their victories in recent matches.
‘We have Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy. That’s four high-quality spinners. Looking at other teams, they might only have two, which is why they are struggling in the UAE and Pakistan.’
‘I think we have the best-balanced team, with better all-rounders. We have Hardik Pandya, who is another all-rounder, plus a strong top batting order. So, it’s the balance of the Indian team that’s making them successful, not just the location,’ Pujara concluded.
