Playing in Dubai gives India advantage in Champions Trophy: Cummins
What's the story
The International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to allow the Indian cricket team to play all their matches in Dubai, during the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, has sparked controversy.
This move was necessitated by political tensions between India and Pakistan, preventing the Indian team from traveling to Pakistan where the tournament is being hosted.
The decision has been met with criticism from several quarters of the cricket world.
Advantage debate
Cummins highlights India's 'huge advantage'
Australian cricketer Pat Cummins, in a recent chat with Yahoo Sports Australia, weighed in on the ongoing debate.
He said playing all matches on the same ground in Dubai could give the Indian team a huge advantage.
"I think it's good that the tournament can go on, but obviously it does give them (India) a huge advantage playing on the same ground," Cummins said.
Winning streak
India's impressive performance in Champions Trophy
India have been on fire in the Champions Trophy 2025, having started their campaign with a thumping six-wicket win over Bangladesh.
They then registered another six-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan, taking the top spot in Group A.
Against Pakistan, Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten century while Shreyas Iyer played a vital knock of 56 runs off 67 balls.
Tournament outlook
Pakistan's struggle and future prospects
On the other hand, Pakistan have been struggling in the tournament. After their loss against India, they are now on the verge of getting knocked out and require a miracle to make it to the semi-finals.
After the match, Pakistan's captain Mohammad Rizwan admitted his team's performance disappointed him and accepted that their campaign is over.