 "Is Dubai advantage the reason behind India's dominance in Champions Trophy? Data from 2023 World Cup proves otherwise")
India have, undoubtedly been the standout team so far in the ICC Champions Trophy, winning all the four matches that they have played so far and appearing favourites for a third title ahead of Sunday's final against New Zealand . However, the fact that India have stayed put in Dubai since their arrival on 16 February has also led to a heated debate.
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According to the likes of former England captains Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton and several others, the fact that the Men in Blue’s travel is limited to their trips between their hotel, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and the ICC Academy – where they train between matches – is they reason behind their undefeated run.
The theory, however, has been struck down by captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir as well as batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and several others. Those arguing in favour of the Indian team state that limited travel can offer a team only so much in terms of advantage, and that it’s ultimately their planning, strategy as well as the individual form of players that ultimately matter.
How data from 2023 ICC World Cup proves Indian team right
Those leaning in favour of the Indian team certainly might have the upper hand in the argument, as travel data from the 2023 ICC World Cup indicates. The Rohit Sharma-led side were by far the most dominant team in that tournament – until the final, where they lost to Australia by six wickets .
The Indian team had won 10 matches in a row in that tournament, all of them by one-sided margins. And they do so despite traveling 12,897 kilometres across the length and breadth of the nation, playing in nine different cities.
They did not play back-to-back games in the same city, and only made a second appearance at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium for the semi-final and the final respectively.
Pakistan, in comparison, were the least traveled team in that tournament – covering 6,892 kilometres across five cities. The Babar Azam-led side, however, failed to progress beyond the round-robin stage, finishing fifth on the table with four wins and five losses.
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— Pushkar Pushp (@ppushp7) February 25, 2025
That was India in the 2023 World Cup—travelling roughly 14,000 km aerially despite playing at home (excluding local travel).#INDvPAK #CricketTwitter https://t.co/3dUiyHpgoM pic.twitter.com/LTHBOYOlIu
A similar argument could be made for last year’s T20 World Cup. India played at two venues during the group stage in the United States and had an even more packed schedule in the Caribbean during the Super Eights and the knockouts – playing five matches across four different venues.
And yet, Rohit and Co would go on to win the tournament to end their 11-year ICC title drought.
As for the Champions Trophy, one could argue such a situation would not have arisen had the tournament been played in any other part of the world.
However, the BCCI had firmly refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan due to security concerns as well as political tensions between the two south Asian neighbours. India, as a result, got to play their matches in Dubai under a ‘Hybrid Model’.
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