Champions trophy controversy: Former Pakistan speedster accuses BCCI, team India of manipulating schedule
Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at practice session prior to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final match between India and New Zealand. His comments came on the eve of the India-New Zealand final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan was part of the controversy over fixing the schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy by indirectly accusing the BCCI and Indian team of making money from it. His statement came a day before the final match between India and New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Three competing teams - India, New Zealand and South Africa
Taking to Twitter, Junaid highlighted the difference in travel distances among three competing teams - India, New Zealand and South Africa. He illustrated that the Proteas, whose campaign ended in the semifinal last week, covered 3286 kilometres, covering the unnecessary journey to Dubai and then returning to Pakistan within less than 12 hours in the midst of uncertainty over their semifinal match. New Zealand, who toured all four grounds, including Dubai, covered a distance of 7150 kilometres. In contrast, the Indian team did not have to move anywhere as they hosted all their matches in Dubai. Distance covered between matches in Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand: 7,150 KM, South Africa: 3,286 KM, India: 0 KM.
Advantage India?
Geopolitical considerations limited the Indian team's tour to Pakistan for the ICC tournament. This compelled the ICC to declare the UAE as the neutral ground for all India's games. But in the midst of scheduling chaos, India have been accused of gaining an unfair advantage by hosting all their games at a single venue, while the other teams had to keep changing between over two cities.
