NEW DELHI: India’s advantage of playing all their matches in Dubai became a hot topic of debate the moment they kicked off their Champions Trophy campaign. Many questioned whether Team India had an unfair edge, as they played all their games — including the group stage, semifinal, and final — at the neutral venue of Dubai International Stadium. This scheduling decision came after the BCCI opted not to travel to Pakistan for the tournament.
However, Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram dismissed the controversy, stating that even if India had played in Pakistan, it wouldn’t have made a difference, given their sheer dominance in global tournaments.
India clinched the title with a four-wicket victory over New Zealand in the final, marking their second ICC trophy in just nine months. Their previous triumph came in June 2024, when they defeated South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in Barbados.
India’s supremacy was further highlighted by the fact that they remained unbeaten in both tournaments, reinforcing their status as the team to beat in world cricket.
“This Indian team would have won it anywhere in the world,” Akram said, speaking in the Dressing Room show on the Sports Central channel.
“Yes, there were a lot of talks once it was decided that India would play all of their matches in Dubai. But had they played in Pakistan, they would have won there as well,” Akram stated.
“They won the 2024 T20 World Cup without losing a game, they went on to win the Champions Trophy without losing even one game which shows the depth in their cricket, that shows the leadership,” Akram added.
“If you remember, they lost 3-0 to New Zealand in the Test series at home, lost the Border-Gavaskar trophy, and lost the series in Sri Lanka. They were under pressure to remove the captain, the coach but sanity prevailed. BCCI backed them, said ‘this is our captain, this is our coach’ and now they are the champion of the champions,” said Akram.
