'India Have Tried To Push That To The Side': Mitchell Starc Sparks India Dubai 'Advantage' Controversy Again
Mitchell Starc agrees with David Miller and others that India had an advantage in the 2025 Champions Trophy by playing all matches in Dubai. India won the final against New Zealand.
Mitchell Starc agrees with David Miller and other former and current cricketers who said India had an advantage over the other seven teams in the 2025 Champions Trophy because they played all their matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. He said though Rohit Sharma’s men ‘won fair and square’ because they are a ‘bloody good’ team, those claiming discomfort due to the extra travel were not wrong.
India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the final of the tournament. After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to travel to Pakistan due to security and political reasons, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ICC zeroed in on the hybrid model. Many pundits and participants questioned the arrangement.
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Miller was a significant voice among them because his opinion that the extra fights South Africa had to take ‘was not ideal’ and ‘not nice’, came after the Proteas lost to New Zealand in the semi-final.
“There’s been a lot made on that topic obviously, India have tried to push that to the side and said that it’s a neutral venue. But there’s been a lot to come out of the tournament during and post. Obviously, India won fair and square, they’re a bloody good cricket team and have been across all formats for a long time," Starc said on the FanaticsTV YouTube channel.
“New Zealand played in Dubai and flew back to Pakistan for semi-final and then again to Dubai to play the final. Even Pakistan despite being hosts had to travel out of their country to play India. Even David Miller spoke about the flight situation. When one team plays at the same place with no flights, I would tend to agree with some of the opinions that have come out," he added.
India, on their part, vehemently rejected these ideas. Skipper Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Sitanshu Kotak all spoke about how India trained at the nearby ICC academy and not the venue of the matches, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Starc didn’t play in the competition after pulling out due to personal issues. Australia lost to India in the first semi-final.
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