Ever since the Indian cricket team won the Champions Trophy title by defeating New Zealand in Dubai, there has been some murmurs about Rohit Sharma and his men gaining an advantage from playing all their games at the same venue while the rest of the seven teams had to travel around. The second finalist, New Zealand, in particular had to fly from Pakistan to Dubai to face India in a group stage clash, then fly back to Pakistan for the semis. And then fly back to Dubai for the final.
Others have also lamented the advantage that India gained by their familiarity with the same pitch.
But Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who opted out of playing at the Champions Trophy, has backed the Men in Blue, stating that they won the title ‘fair and square’. He did concede that India had an advantage from playing exclusively in Dubai.
“When one team gets to stay at one place, no flights, no restrictions upon them in the place, train at the same venue every time, play every game at the same venue, I would tend to agree with some of the opinions that have come out. I can understand where a lot of the guys in the other seven teams were coming from and some opinions from broadcasters,” Starc said on FanaticsTV’s YouTube channel in an interview.
“There’s been a lot made on that topic. Obviously, India tried to push that to the side and say it’s a neutral venue, but there’s been a lot to come out of the tournament during and post-tournament. India won fair and square, they were the better team, they are a bloody good cricket team, and have been across all formats for a long time,” Australian pacer Starc said in the interview released on Wednesday.
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