Former England captain Michael Vaughan triggered the Champions Trophy 2025 advantage debate by taking a swipe at Rohit Sharma and Team India. Vaughan sarcastically said that India would win their new home venue ahead of the final clash between India and New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The debate over India’s advantage is based on how the tournament has been run in a hybrid model. There has been only one team that has played all its matches at one venue, and the other teams have had to travel and adapt to different pitch conditions. Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton and Vivian Richards have been open about whether India’s knowledge of the Dubai pitch has been unfair to the other side.
But India has rejected these claims, insisting that home advantage is a usual phenomenon in cricket, while ultimately the success lies in performance. This, however, has not managed to quiet the criticism. Proteas batter David Miller expressed his disappointment at South Africa’s semi-final loss to New Zealand and said he would be rooting for them in the final.
On Saturday, Vaughan was cheekily asked by an X (formerly Twitter) user for his prediction for the Champions Trophy 2025 final and he predictably replied, India will win at their new home venue. But his remark has ignited new debate.
Meanwhile, South African batter Rassie van der Dussen also chimed in on the controversy, saying the advantage of staying in one place during the tournament is obvious, taking away tourism from the different conditions.
The “home advantage” narrative continues to fire up as India prepares to play the high stakes final, making for some intriguing added drama to an already thrilling fixture.
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