A major point of discussion during the 2025 Champions Trophy has been whether Team India had an advantage by playing all their matches in Dubai. Since India did not travel to Pakistan for the tournament, their games were played at a neutral venue. Many experts felt this gave them an unfair edge. However, Pakistan cricket legend Wasim Akram believes that it wouldn’t have made a difference even if India had played in Pakistan.
“This Indian team would have won anywhere in the world,” Akram said on the Dressing Room show on the Sports Central channel.
While there were discussions about India playing all their games in Dubai, Akram asserted, “Had they played in Pakistan, they would have won there as well.”
Akram highlighted India’s dominance in both the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, where they won every match. “They won the 2024 T20 World Cup without losing a game, and they went on to win the Champions Trophy without losing a single game. That shows the depth in their cricket and the strength of their leadership,” Akram noted.
India’s Champions Trophy 2025 win followed a challenging period, during which they faced heavy Test defeats—3-0 to New Zealand at home and 1-3 to Australia away. Despite the intense pressure and scrutiny, the team stuck with Rohit Sharma as captain and Gautam Gambhir as head coach, a decision Akram praised.
“If you remember, they lost 3-0 to New Zealand in the Test series at home, lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and were beaten in Sri Lanka. There was pressure to change the captain and coach, but sanity prevailed. The BCCI backed them and said, ‘This is our captain, this is our coach,’ and now they’re the champions of the champions,” Akram said.
Team India’s victory streak includes eight consecutive ODI wins, starting with a 3-0 series triumph over England. They carried this form into the Champions Trophy, defeating Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, and New Zealand twice on their way to the title.
India’s next international series is set for June, following IPL 2025, when they will face England in a five-match Test series.
