The recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy is one of the most controversial cricket tournaments of the 21st century. Admittedly, India, the team that went on to win the title, has had an unfair advantage of playing all their matches (including the final) at the same venue: Dubai. That’s a fair explanation, isn’t it? Now take a step back and check what led to the occurrence of this scenario! Yes, it is the BCCI’s refusal to send its squad to Pakistan, the host of the tournament, citing security concerns; this led to the ICC forcing the PCB to schedule a hybrid model with India playing all its matches outside Pakistan, which turned out to be the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

While this initially sounded like a fine alteration to the original plan, what it turned out to be is beyond one’s imagination. In spite of boasting multiple world-class stadiums, the ICC has chosen just one venue for all the matches of Team India just to cut down on the logistics costs. This paved a way to the so-called ‘advantage’ for India.

But what the cricket pandits don’t realize is that India had displayed sheer dominance throughout the tournament without their most valuable asset—Jasprit Bumrah! Owing to his unfortunate injuries, the Gujarati pacer has been ruled out of this eight-team tournament. Even that did not stop the Gautam Gambhir-led squad from dreaming of winning the title. Of course, the pitches of Dubai have been spin-friendly—a condition that Rohit exploited using the spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, & Ravindra Jadeja. Still, he deserves a pat on his back for sticking to the plans and getting the team over the line.

Rohit Sharma & Jay Shah (right to left) with #CT25.
Rohit Sharma & Jay Shah (right to left) with #CT25.

To conclude, the #CT25 has been a mediocrely entertaining tournament with three of the fifteen matches being washed out due to rain. But what can’t be ignored is the absolute dominance Team India had displayed on the world stage. Winning two back-to-back ICC titles across formats, the Rohit-Gambhir side is arguably the best white-ball team on the planet currently. In simpler terms, India’s Golden Era in White-Ball Cricket Has Begun!