Photo Credit: Instagram Photos of @gavaskarsunilofficial, @icctrophytour
Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian cricketer, has firmly put an end to the debate regarding India’s potential “unfair advantage” during their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. With all of India’s matches, including the final, being played in Dubai due to the Indian government’s decision not to send the national team to Pakistan amidst political tensions, some critics argued that this arrangement provided an unfair edge to the Indian team. Many pointed out that playing all their games at one venue, without the need for travel, could have been a significant advantage for Rohit Sharma and his team.
However, Gavaskar quickly dismissed these claims after India’s win over New Zealand in the final. In his column for Sportstar, he explained that the decision to play all matches in Dubai had been made by the ICC long before the tournament began. He further questioned the validity of such claims by referencing England’s historical record in ICC tournaments.
“Yes, there will be the carpers who talked about the advantage India had playing only at one venue and not having to travel between matches. However, that was decided by the ICC much before the tournament started, and any negative comment about that should have happened before the tournament’s first ball was bowled. And if ‘home advantage’ is the reason India won, then how come England, from where most of the whingers were, did not win ICC trophies till 2019 despite hosting it about half a dozen times earlier?” Gavaskar wrote.
Gavaskar then shifted his focus to the true reasons behind India’s success. He praised the team’s balance and highlighted the crucial role of Rohit Sharma’s captaincy. The legendary cricketer emphasized that it was the well-rounded nature of the squad, with different players stepping up at various points, that led to their triumph. Additionally, he lauded Rohit for joining MS Dhoni in achieving multiple ICC titles as captain of the Indian cricket team.
“India won simply because it had a well-balanced team, and at different times in the tournament, different players played a game-changing role in the team’s win. Above all, there was the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, who, in winning two ICC titles as captain, has joined the incomparable MS Dhoni in winning multiple titles as skipper of the Indian cricket team. Rohit also squashed rumours about his impending retirement, saying he has not decided to retire from the format,” he added.
In his conclusion, Gavaskar made it clear that India’s victory was not a product of external factors but rather the result of strong leadership and a well-equipped team.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
