Kohli, Rohit, Iyer feeling sad they missed ‘3-4 hundreds’ in Karachi, Lahore: Ganguly asks what choice did India have?
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly doesn’t believe Rohit Sharma and the latter’s team were given an advantage in the ongoing ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. India will play the final of the eight-team tournament against New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, and the chatter around India’s familiarity with the conditions continues to grow ahead of the summit clash.
India might have won four matches on the bounce to reach the final. However, several pundits believe India had better conditions as they were stationed at one venue and did not travel from one part to the other.
Some experts also said India had the best chance of picking players for just slow pitches in Dubai as they knew how the surfaces would perform. Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Vivian Richards, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen are some of the names who have spoken out publicly about India and the possible advantage they have had.
However, on the eve of the final, Sourav Ganguly stated India did not agree to play all their matches in Dubai at their own will, and it was just how the circumstances unfolded.
He also said the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill missed out on playing on flat tracks in Pakistan.
“What’s the choice? I don’t think India has agreed to play all their matches in Dubai on their will. It’s because they can’t go to Pakistan. It’s because the government of India doesn’t allow them to go to Pakistan. So it’s not in India’s hands. That’s the way it is. And I remember I was BCCI President in 2020, and we allotted the Champions Trophy to Pakistan,” Ganguly said at the Tata Steel Trailblazers sports conclave organised by RevSportz.
“And I was a part of the team that allocated all the World Cups till 2031. India will have the 2026 World Cup, the 2029 Champions Trophy, and the 2031 World Cup again. So it’s not something which India has done. It’s just that you can’t go to Pakistan. And I can tell you, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kale Rahul, Shreyas Iyer will be feeling sad they can’t get to bat on those pitches in Lahore and Karachi where oppositions are scoring 350,” he added.
Speaking further, he said, “Oppositions are scoring 350. Australia scored 350. England scored 350. Australia chased it. New Zealand scored 360. And you look at the scores in Dubai, 240, 250. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill will be thinking, ‘why don’t we get those wickets in Dubai? And I get three or four hundreds.’ Actually, India is missing out on flat pitches away from Pakistan.”
‘India is missing out’
Sourav Ganguly also discussed how India won all of its matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup, barring the final, despite travelling to nine cities. He also discussed the gruelling schedule of the 2024 T20 World Cup, which saw India travel to eight cities and still win the tournament.
“And I must say that India is missing out. India won in India, where they went around the nine cities. They went to West Indies where they went around eight cities to win the T20 World Cup. So, I don’t think it’s got anything to do with India staying in Dubai. It’s just that what it is,” said Ganguly.
“England don’t go to Zimbabwe. And I remember in 2003 World Cup when I was captain, during the World Cup, India had Zimbabwe in their group and England had Zimbabwe in their group. They conceded points to Zimbabwe because they wouldn’t go to Zimbabwe. So, every country has their own way of doing things and I don’t think it’s any fault of the Indian cricket team or the board that they haven’t gone to Pakistan,” said Ganguly.
