“Some people are just perpetual cribbers” - Gautam Gambhir’s scathing reply to critics over India’s ‘undue advantage’ in 2025 Champions Trophy

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir lashed out at the criticism that the side has benefitted from a favorable schedule in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The Men in Blue overcame the Australian challenge in the semifinal with a four-wicket win to qualify for a third consecutive Champions Trophy final.

However, much of the talk over the past week from former players and fans has been about India playing all their matches in Dubai, while the other teams move around three different venues in Pakistan and Dubai (for matches against India). After India refused to travel to Pakistan, it was agreed that the tournament would follow a hybrid model, with India playing all their games in Dubai.

Speaking about India's potential advantage of playing only in Dubai at the press conference after the semifinal win over Australia, Gambhir said (ESPN Cricinfo):

"There's a lot of debate about the undue advantage and all that. What undue advantage? We haven't practised here even for one day. We're practising at the ICC Academy. And the conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man. They've got to grow up. So, I feel that there was nothing like we had any undue advantage."

He added:

"See, first of all, this is as neutral a venue for us as it is for any other team. We have not played here. I don't remember when last we played here. And in fact, we didn't plan anything like that. The plan was that if you pick two frontline spinners in the 15-man squad, then even if we played in Pakistan or anywhere, we would have picked two frontline spinners because this was a competition in the subcontinent."

The conditions in Dubai have been vastly different from those in Pakistan, with spin playing a more prominent role on slow and two-paced surfaces. Meanwhile, India have dominated and won all four matches thus far in the tournament with spin-dominated attacks.

"You don't say that you've ticked all the boxes" - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir praised his side for their dominant run in the 2025 Champions Trophy while highlighting the scope for improvement in all facets ahead of the grand finale. In what was expected to be their toughest challenge, Team India brushed aside Australia with a sensational all-around performance in the semifinal, avenging their 2023 ODI World Cup final defeat.

"In international sport, you want to keep improving. You don't say that you've ticked all the boxes. There's always room to improve. There's always something to improve, be it in batting, fielding, or bowling. And we still haven't played a perfect game. We still have one more game to go. Hopefully we can play a perfect game," said Gambhir.

He concluded:

"And that is the kind of person I am. I will never be satisfied with the performances. We want to keep improving, we want to stay humble, we want to be ruthless on the cricket field, but absolutely humble off the field as well. That's the kind of team environment and that's the kind of culture we want to create in that dressing room, and be absolutely honest."

India will play the winner of the second semifinal between South Africa and New Zealand in the summit clash in Dubai on Sunday, March 9.