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Rohit Sharma-led Team India has finally avenged their loss against Australia from the 2023 ODI World Cup final on Tuesday, March 4 when they defeated the Steven Smith-led side by four wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai in the first semi-final of Champions Trophy 2025. However, the win did not come easy for the Men in Blue, but they are now just a win away from clinching another ICC title.
Speaking after India’s comprehensive win over the world champions, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir hit back at the critics after several claimed that they have an undue advantage. Several former cricketers and pundits had earlier spoken about the Indian team having an advantage of playing at one venue and not travelling across for any of their matches.
Some people are perpetual cribbers; they need to grow up: Gautam Gambhir
However the Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma had opened up on the same, but this time, Gautam Gambhir slammed the critics for hitting out at the team. Speaking at the post-match press conference on Tuesday, Gambhir said, “Kaunsi undue advantage? (What undue advantage?) We practice at ICC Academy, where conditions are different from what we get here at the stadium. Some people are perpetual cribbers; they need to grow up.”
It is to be noted that the Indian team has played all their four matches so far in Dubai, whereas other teams have had to travel from Pakistan to the Middle East. This came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had refused to travel to Pakistan, who were handed the hosting rights after 29 years, due to security concerns.
The Men in Blue will continue to play in Dubai as they will now take on the winner of South Africa versus New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final, scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 9.
