Photo Credit: Wikimedia
As the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy Final between India and New Zealand approaches this Sunday, March 9, the cricketing world remains divided over one of the tournament’s biggest controversies: India’s exclusive scheduling in Dubai.
With India set to face their final challenger at the same venue where they have played every match so far, critics argue that the playing field has been anything but level. The debate over fairness has only intensified, and a cricexec poll of top cricket industry executives has made one thing clear: the overwhelming majority believe India had an unfair advantage.
The Poll: Industry Leaders Speak Out
A striking 86% of global cricket executives polled by cricexec believe that India was given an unfair advantage by playing all its matches at one venue. Only 14% disagreed, signaling a strong consensus within the industry that India’s Champions Trophy schedule has not been equitable.
This overwhelming response aligns with the growing chorus of voices—players, commentators, and analysts—questioning the tournament’s fairness. While Indian officials and former cricketers have defended the arrangement, other stakeholders have pointed out the clear logistical and competitive disparities it has created.
The Critics: Unfair Conditions and a Tilted Playing Field
Mike Atherton, former England captain and renowned cricket journalist, has been one of the most vocal critics of the situation. “It is a huge advantage for India to be able to play all their matches at the same venue while other teams are dealing with travel and unfamiliar conditions. Tournament cricket should be about adapting to different situations, and that element has been removed for India.” he remarked, highlighting the physical and mental toll that constant travel has taken on other teams.
Nasser Hussain, another former England captain, echoed similar concerns. “It is an unfair advantage, no doubt,” he said. “It’s a World Cup in all but name, and in no World Cup does one team get to play all its matches in the same stadium while the others travel between countries.”
South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen, whose team endured a whirlwind 18-hour needless round trip between Pakistan and Dubai in order to accommodate India’s schedule, described the logistical nightmare. “It was not ideal for the bodies… It was just a crazy 18 hours.” Such constraints have led many to argue that India’s fixed presence in Dubai has given them a distinct advantage in terms of rest, preparation, and familiarity with the playing surface.
Veteran Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson weighed in as well, acknowledging that while security concerns have played a role, the end result has skewed in India’s favor. “Many respected voices have pointed out that this seems unfair to the other teams, and it’s an argument that has legitimate weight despite the obvious security concerns India has about playing in Pakistan,” he stated.
James Buttler, host of the Cricket Badger Podcast, painted a stark image of the disparity in conditions. “India sit on their Dubai sun loungers as the other teams chase around airports to ensure they have time to practice. It’s not really very fair, is it?”
Buttler’s remarks encapsulate the broader frustration felt by many that India’s opponents, including the hosts Pakistan, have had to endure the rigors of travel while India have remained in complete comfort.
India’s Defense: Dismissing the “Perpetual Cribbers”
Indian cricket’s top figures, however, have forcefully pushed back against these accusations. Captain Rohit Sharma dismissed claims of favoritism, emphasizing the unpredictability of the Dubai pitch. “Every time, the pitch is giving you different challenges… This is not our home, this is Dubai. We don’t play so many matches here, and this is new for us too,” he insisted.
India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir was even more blunt in his response, targeting those criticizing the tournament’s structure. “Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man. They’ve got to grow up. I feel that there was nothing like we had any undue advantage,” he stated.
Former BCCI President and ex-India captain Sourav Ganguly argued that India would have performed just as well, if not better, under different conditions. “The pitches in Pakistan offer better conditions. India would have put up an even bigger total there.”
Sunil Gavaskar, another legendary Indian cricketer, framed the issue in financial terms, emphasizing India’s importance to global cricket economics. “India’s earnings pay your salaries,” he said in response to critics like Atherton and Hussain. “People keep moaning and moaning… The time has come for India to shut their ears and ignore them.”
A Question of Power and Influence
While India’s players and officials have dismissed the criticism, others see this as a broader issue about the governance of international cricket. West Indies legend Viv Richards acknowledged that politics might be at play. “People may have a point when they say that. I guess that’s due to politics—I don’t want to get into the political side of things,” he admitted. “But I believe the people who are responsible, in terms of the governing and the ruling of the game in itself, which is the ICC, they’re the ones who I think got the problem. It should not have been an issue at all. The game should be on a level playing field. You travel, you move, that’s how international sport works. It is what it is now, but looking forward, I hope we don’t see a situation like this again.”
Sadanand Dhume, an Indian-American writer and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, was more direct. “People don’t want to hear it, but India has Third Worldized the management of international cricket. It does not even pretend to be fair-minded. The point of power is to flaunt it—the cruder the better.”
Peter Della Penna, an American cricket journalist, took his discontent even further, choosing not to watch the tournament. “I haven’t watched a single ball of this Champions Trophy, first time I’ve not watched a major ICC event since 2005. I can’t exactly call it a boycott. I just can’t watch it seriously with a straight face when the thumb is so blatantly on the scales for one team vs all others.”
The Final Showdown: A Fair Contest?
With India now just one win away from lifting the Champions Trophy, the debate will not end with Sunday’s final. If India wins, critics will claim that their uninterrupted stay in Dubai played a decisive role. Regardless of the outcome, the cricexec poll has shown that the global cricket industry is overwhelmingly concerned about fairness in future ICC tournaments.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
