Before we dive into the brouhaha that we are currently witnessing about Team India’s “unfair venue advantage” in Dubai for the Champions Trophy, let’s get one thing out of the way: there can be no commercially successful global cricket tournament, anywhere in the world, without the Indian team. Viewership, sponsorship revenue and overall interest in the tournament would nose-dive if India is not playing. Just wait for the viewership figures of the next ICC World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa to be released (if they ever are) and compare that with the two previous finals that have featured India. You will have your proof.
Two Questions To Ask
Anyone who knows anything about cricket will agree that if a team is stationed at one venue through an entire multi-nation tournament, they are bound to have venue advantage. There’s no denying that. They can not only adjust to the conditions once and for all, knowing well where they will be playing the knockout games if they reach that stage, but they also don’t have to tinker too much with their playing XI once the best combination has been found. There is also no travel fatigue or over-the-top logistical planning required.
But, ask yourself two questions. One, whose fault is that? Can Rohit Sharma & Co. be held accountable for the fact that they are based only in Dubai for their entire campaign? Surely not. And two, is the reason for Team India doing so well, having secured a semi-final berth with a game in hand, only that they are playing all their matches at the same venue? Are we going to summarily dismiss the efforts being put in by the players and the support staff?
Team India’s ‘Enviable’ Position
Let’s look at how and why Team India found itself in this “enviable” position at the ongoing Champions Trophy. The only reason India are playing all their matches in Dubai is because there is absolutely no chance whatsoever that the team would have been given the go-ahead to travel to Pakistan, for anything. If the captain’s meet and photoshoot had not been cancelled due to logistical reasons, perhaps Rohit Sharma would not have been given clearance to travel to Pakistan for that either.
So, let’s go back to the genesis—back to 2021—when the ICC awarded hosting rights to Pakistan. It must be mentioned here that the ICC Board has representatives of all 12 full members, including India, representatives from some associate countries and independent directors, along with office-bearers like the Chairman and CEO. There was no plan drawn up at that time for a hybrid model by anyone. Why? Was the BCCI categorically asked if their team would travel to Pakistan? Not that we know of. Did the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) raise this concern at the time? Again, not that we know of. Surely someone should have had the foresight that India wouldn’t travel to Pakistan? You don’t need to be a geopolitical expert to understand what the Indian government’s stand is going to be on the matter, four years down the line. You don’t need to be a security analyst to know that India is likely to have “security concerns”.
A Matter Of Foresight
Now, if that foresight had existed at the time, the ICC, along with hosts PCB, could have drawn-up a plan whereby India would play their matches at say two or even all three UAE venues (Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi), and not just one. That way, no one would be able to say that India are playing only in one venue and enjoying the perks of venue familiarity. However, what eventually happened was the inevitable situation of India saying they could not travel to Pakistan, the ICC feeling the pressure of an India-less tournament (which is just not feasible), and then, a hurriedly put-together plan of Dubai being India’s base camp. It takes a lot to get a venue ready for international matches of this scale. If this scenario had been pre-empted, many things could have been different. But it wasn’t. And there were no voices of criticism at that time. They only began once the Indian team began to dominate proceedings in Dubai.
There’s no denying the fact that all other teams, barring India, might be feeling shortchanged. They are forced to travel from one venue to another, acclimatise and play their best cricket. The Indian team knew they were going to be based only and only in Dubai and could also select their squad accordingly. All of us who were scratching our heads a bit when as many as five spinners were picked now understand that it was a tactical masterstroke. Take all your spinning options and play whoever is likely to be the most potent, depending on the opposition.
The Need For A Hybrid Model
Even so, at the end of the day, this is not Team India or the current BCCI regime’s fault. They didn’t ask for this situation. The BCCI had to relay the official stance, which is that Indian players can’t travel to Pakistan. Everyone knows what the political chemistry and history between India and Pakistan is like. And at the end of the day, if the government does not give the go-ahead for travel to a specific country, there’s nothing anybody can do about it. Which is why every time the hosting rights for an ICC event are given to Pakistan, there must be a hybrid-model in place for the Indian team. Just because Pakistan travelled to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup doesn’t mean that India would have reciprocated. If that’s the quid-pro-quo that the powers that be had envisioned at that time, it was a complete fallacy. India are not “picking and choosing” what they want to play where, as some critics have said. Pakistan is literally the only country India doesn’t travel to for cricket.
Reputable former cricketers should be aware that they have the power and privilege to make headlines with their comments. It’s not just what they say, but also when they say it that really matters. The unnecessary controversy over India playing only in Dubai might look and sound like a storm in a teacup for all neutral parties, but many cricket fans from countries that are participating in the ongoing Champions Trophy might be swayed by these comments; they make it sound as if some Machiavellian plot was hatched to give India an “undeniable advantage” so as to ensure that they go all the way to the final, thereby ensuring peak viewership numbers. This wasn’t anyone’s ‘plan’. If anything, things should be planned much better in the future, whenever the ICC decides to award Pakistan hosting rights for any tournament. All this complaining also dents the tournament’s image.
The last time Pakistan hosted an ICC event, before this one, was the 1996 ODI World Cup. But they weren’t the sole hosts. That tournament was co-hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Subcontinental geopolitics is not what it was 29 years ago. A lot has changed since then. It’s time some people change their mindset too. If the show must go on, amid political tensions, petty finger-pointing will serve little purpose.
(The author is a former sports editor and primetime sports news anchor. He is currently a columnist, features writer and stage actor)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
