India stormed into the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after a commanding four-wicket win over Australia in the semi-final on March 4. With this victory, the Men in Blue remain unbeaten in the tournament and are now set for the ultimate showdown on March 9 at the Dubai International Stadium, where they will face the winner of the second semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa.
While India’s performance has been nothing short of exceptional, some former cricketers and fans have raised concerns about the team enjoying an undue advantage by playing all their matches at the same venue without the fatigue of travel. However, India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was quick to dismiss such claims, firmly stating that the conditions were equally neutral and unfamiliar for all teams.
“First of all, this is as neutral a venue for us as it is for any other team. We haven’t played here regularly, and I don’t even remember the last time we did. This wasn’t part of any grand strategy,” Gautam Gambhir said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
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He further explained that India’s selection strategy was based on conditions rather than an unfair advantage. “The idea was simple—if we were playing in the subcontinent, we would pick two frontline spinners in our squad. Even if the tournament was in Pakistan, we would’ve done the same. And if you see, we only used one frontline spinner in the first two matches. It was only in the last couple of games that we fielded two spinners.”
‘Grow up’ – Gambhir dismisses talk of India having an “undue advantage”
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— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 5, 2025
Dismissing the notion of India being favored, Gambhir didn’t hold back. “What undue advantage? We haven’t even practiced here. Our training has been at the ICC Academy, and the conditions there are completely different from the stadium. Some people are just habitual complainers; they need to grow up,” he remarked.
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Meanwhile, the second semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa is set to take place on March 5 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. This will be the final match of the tournament to be played in Pakistan before the action shifts entirely to Dubai for the grand finale.
