“Some People Are Just Perpetual Cribbers”: Gautam Gambhir Slams Venue Advantage Debate

India’s Head Coach Gautam Gambhir Fires Back at Critics, Says Playing in Dubai Offered No Unfair Edge

Dubai [UAE], March 5: Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has dismissed claims that India had an undue advantage by playing all their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai, while other teams had to travel between venues.

Former England cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton had earlier suggested that India benefited from familiarity with one venue, a claim that has been widely debated throughout the tournament.

However, after India stormed into the final with a four-wicket win over Australia, Gambhir shut down the controversy, stating that India’s squad selection and strategy would have remained the same, regardless of the venue.

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“This is as neutral for us as it is for any other team”

Addressing the post-match press conference, Gambhir made it clear that India did not gain any unfair edge and that their squad was picked based on the subcontinental conditions, not venue preference.

“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 which tournament we played in this stadium last.”

He further argued that India would have selected two frontline spinners even if they had played in Pakistan, given the nature of subcontinental pitches.

“The plan was that if you pick two front-line spinners in the 15-man squad, then even if we played in Pakistan or anywhere, we would have picked two front-line spinners because it was a competition on the subcontinent. So, it was nothing like we wanted to set up a spinners’ trap. If you look at it, we only played one front-line spinner in the first three matches.”

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“Some People Are Just Perpetual Cribbers”

Gambhir did not hold back when addressing the persistent complaints from critics and dismissed talks of India gaining an advantage.

“We only played two front-line spinners in this match or the previous match. So, it was nothing like that. And there’s a lot of debate about the undue advantage and all that. What undue advantage?”

He further pointed out that India didn’t even practice at the Dubai International Stadium, instead training at the ICC Academy, which has completely different pitch conditions.

“We haven’t practiced here even for a day. We’re practicing at the ICC Academy. And the conditions there and here are 180 degrees different. The difference is between the ground and the sky.”

Calling out the constant complaints, Gambhir sent a blunt message to critics:

“Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man. They’ve got to grow up. There was nothing like we had any undue advantage or we had planned something like that.”

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India Advances to the Champions Trophy Final

With India booking their place in the final, the debate over venue advantage is unlikely to fade. However, Gambhir’s strong response makes it clear that Team India is focused on winning, not controversies.

India will now face the winner of the second semifinal in the Champions Trophy final on March 7, as they look to clinch another ICC title.

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Gautam Gambhir, Team India, Champions Trophy 2025, Venue Advantage Debate, India vs Australia, Cricket News, ICC Champions Trophy, Dubai Cricket, Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton