"Should have played in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah" - Former India batter weighs in on 'unfair advantage' debate in 2025 Champions Trophy  

Former India batter Wasim Jaffer reckons that the Men in Blue should have played their three group matches in the 2025 Champions Trophy at three different venues in the UAE to shut the debate around 'unfair advantage'. According to Jaffer, had India played their three matches in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah respectively, the controversy around them having an advantage would not have arisen.

Following India's refusal to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, the ICC scheduled all their matches in Dubai. A number of cricket experts have, however, criticized the scheduling, claiming that it has given the Men in Blue a massive advantage over the other teams.

Speaking during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Jaffer opined that the ICC could have done a better job than scheduling all of India's group matches at one venue.

"The ICC should have asked India to play one game in Sharjah, one game in Abu Dhabi, probably allowed them to check in into another hotel. Then probably, this topic wouldn't have come. If India doesn't want to go to Pakistan, every country has that choice. India, obviously for political reasons, or government's involvement doesn't want to go there," he said.

"What choices do we have? You obviously want India and Pakistan to play in this tournament. The tournament's not going to happen without India. Just to silence all these things, India should have played in Abu Dhabi, should have played in Sharjah. Should have checked into another hotel here and there, just to stop this conversation," the 47-year-old added.

Team India have qualified for the semifinals of the 2025 Champions Trophy from Group A along with New Zealand. They beat Bangladesh by six wickets in the opening match on February 20 and defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by the same margin on February 23.

---

"It is an advantage" - Nasser Hussain on India's playing all their 2025 Champions Trophy games at one venue

Earlier, former England captain Nasser Hussain opined that India undoubtedly have an upper hand over other teams in the 2025 Champions Trophy since they are playing all their matches in Dubai. Speaking to Sky Sports, he commented:

"It is an advantage. For the best team in the tournament to have that advantage...I saw a tweet the other day: Pakistan - host nation, India - home advantage. That sort of sums it up, really....They are in one place. They are in one hotel. There is no travel. They are in one dressing room. They know the pitch. They picked for that pitch. When they selected, they were very smart. They probably knew what Dubai was going to be like."

Having qualified for the semifinals of the 2025 Champions Trophy from Group A, India and New Zealand will lock horns in Dubai on Sunday, March 2.