The ongoing discussion about India supposedly having an ‘unfair advantage’ in the ICC Champions Trophy is gaining traction. Many former cricketers and experts believe the tournament’s hybrid format significantly benefits India. Due to an agreement between the International Cricket Council, the Pakistan Cricket Board, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the Indian team was initially scheduled to play all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. As India advances to the tournament final, some suggest their success is more attributed to the tournament format than player performance.
However, veteran Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara finds this discussion quite hypocritical. He points out that no one raised such concerns when the tournament format was initially decided. Pujara believes India’s success is due to the team’s well-rounded composition, giving them an edge over opponents, rather than any perceived advantage from playing in familiar conditions.
“I disagree,” Pujara stated in an interview with RevSportz. “The schedule was publicly available long before the Champions Trophy commenced. The reason for the Indian team not traveling to Pakistan was security concerns. The ICC and BCCI collaborated to find a neutral venue. India has played Pakistan in neutral venues before, and the UAE is geographically closer to Pakistan.”
Pujara further added, “I don’t consider it an unfair advantage. If India had faced defeat, no one would attribute it to playing in Dubai. I don’t think of Dubai as a home ground for India. India’s strength lies in its abundant talent and the number of versatile all-rounders in the squad.”
Pujara praised the team management’s strategic decision to include five spinners in the squad for the Dubai Champions Trophy. He highlighted that this decision has been crucial to the team’s victories in the recent matches.
“We have Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy – four high-quality spinners. Observing other teams, many have only two, which explains their struggles in both the UAE and Pakistan.”
“I believe our team boasts superior balance, with a greater number of all-rounders. We have Hardik Pandya, another valuable all-rounder. Coupled with a strong top-order batting lineup, it’s the overall balance of the Indian team that’s driving our success, not just the venue,” Pujara concluded.
