India Accused Of Cheating In Champions Trophy 2025 Final Qualification By Ex-Pakistan Pacer

Pakistan’s former left-arm fast bowler, Junaid Khan, had added his view to the ongoing controversy around the 2025 Champions Trophy schedule as he blamed the Indian side and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for benefiting from it.

Junaid’s statement came just before the final of the eight-team tournament before India and New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 09. The blue brigade has not traveled to any place for the entire tournament and has stayed in Dubai for the entire two weeks.

Junaid Khan takes a savage dig at India in Champions Trophy 2025

Taking to social media, Junai pointed out the contrasting distances covered by the two finalists of the eight-team event. He displayed that the Proteas, whose competition ended at the start of this week, traveled 3286 kilometers, including the necessary travel to Dubai and back to Lahore in less than 12 hours amid the uncertainty over the semifinal fixture.

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It was slightly better for the Kiwis, who played a game against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on Monday before taking the flight to Dubai to face the 2013 title winners on Sunday. Two days later, they came up against the Rainbow Nation on Wednesday at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

On the contrary, the blue brigade didn’t need to travel at all, having played all of the matches in Dubai.

“Distance traveled between matches in Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand: 7,150 KM, South Africa: 3,286 KM, India: 0 KM. Some teams win by skill, some win by scheduling.” He tweeted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

India’s political issues force them to play in Dubai

The BCCI wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to inform them of the decision not to travel to their neighboring country. This forced the world governing body to choose the UAE as the neutral venue for all of the games for the Rohit Sharma-led side.

But amid the chaos, the blue brigade received the accusation of gaining an advantage by playing all of their games at one venue, while the rest of the sides have to travel between more than two cities.

South Africa’s number three batter, Rassie van der Dussen, reckoned that staying in the same hotel and practicing in the same facilities have been a huge advantage for Rohit’s army, and there is no denying that.

“I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to know that. The onus would be on them to use that advantage. In a sense, it puts more pressure on them because whoever is going to play them in the semi or potentially the final is going to go there, and the conditions are going to be foreign, but they [India] are going to be used to it.” The Protea batter reckoned in a press conference.

Gautam Gambhir was stunned by calls of India taking unfair advantage

India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, had no interest in the debate of the blue brigade taking an undue advantage as he addressed that the conditions of the Dubai Stadium and the ICC Academy, where they practiced, were different.

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“We haven't practiced here even for one day and are practicing 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. I feel that there was nothing like we had any undue advantage.” The former opener claimed.

However, the team’s veteran pacer, Mohammed Shami, has admitted that playing on the same ground has worked in their favor in understanding the conditions a little better.