Team India on Tuesday defeated the world champions Australia at the Dubai International Stadium and qualified for the Champions Trophy 2025 Final. Rohit Sharma & Co. defeated Steve Smith-led squad and won the match by 4 wickets. Virat Kohli once again proved why he is called the 'chasemaster' & 'king' not only by fans but also by cricket pundits. Interestingly, by winning the Champions Trophy 2025 Semi-Final, Team India has not only qualified for the final but has also ensured that the ICC CT's final take place in Dubai and not in Lahore, Pakistan. Interestingly, many former Pakistani cricketers and even fans were supporting Australia so that the Champions Trophy Final would take place in Lahore.
Even though India defeated the mighty Australians, former Pakistani cricketer Tanveer Ahmed said that the Men In Blue won because they knew the conditions and played on a single venue. Ahmed further said that it gave India an undue advantage. Before Ahmed, former English cricketer & now cricket analyst Naseer Husain and Michael Atherton started a debate on Sky Sports saying that India is enjoying an undue advantage.
Now, Team India's Head Coach, Gautam Gambhir, has shut down all the debates and called the India critics 'perpetual cribbers. '
Gautam Gambhir Reaction to India enjoying undue advantage in Champions Trophy 2025
In the post match press conference after INDvsAUS Champions Trophy 2025 Semi Final, Gautam Gambhir was asked whether he knew the conditions in advance and therefore he played with 4 spinners.
Gambhir said, "The first thing is that this venue is also neutral for us, just like the other teams. We haven't played here. I don't even remember which tournament we played here last. We did not plan something that (spin bowling strategy). We had planned that in the squad of 15, we would pick two front-line spinners. If we played in Pakistan, we would have still picked two front-line spinners because the tournament is in the sub-continent. So, it was not like 'spinners ka jaal bichana hai. ' As you can see in the first match, we played only one front-line spinner. Only in the last two matches did we go with two front-line spinners."
"There is an ongoing debate that India is enjoying an undue advantage. Tell me what undue advantage. We haven't even practiced here at the stadium, not even for one day. We are practicing at ICC Academy. If compared, the conditions of ICC Academy and the Dubai International Stadium are totally different. If you see the pitch there in the ICC Academy, it is totally different than in the Dubai International Stadium. Some people are perpetual cribbers man! They got to grow up. I felt it was nothing like that we are enjoying undue advantage, or we planned something like this," added Gambhir.