Gavaskar fires back at Hussain, Atherton

They question India's 'undeniable' advantage by staying at a single venue

Former Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticized former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton for repeatedly complaining about India playing all its ICC Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai instead of traveling to Pakistan due to political tensions.

Hussain and Atherton argued that India enjoys an "undeniable" advantage by staying at a single venue while other teams have to travel and adapt to different conditions.

England captain Jos Buttler and South Africa's Rassie van der Dussen also weighed in on the debate.

However, with England eliminated from the semi-final race following defeats to Australia and Afghanistan, Gavaskar urged former English cricketers to focus on their own team's shortcomings rather than pointing fingers at India.

"I think these are all wise and experienced people. Why don't you actually look at why your team has not qualified?" Gavaskar questioned.

"That's what I was going to ask you, sir. Rather than constantly focusing on India, are you even looking at your own backyard? Your players are in such a fragile mental state—they don't seem to care about results as long as they meet certain expectations," he added.

Emphasizing the importance of accountability, he said: "Results matter. If you're representing your country, the responsibility is even greater."

Taking aim at the repeated criticism, Gavaskar said: "You must care about results. You must care for your country, for any team you play for. If you are playing for your country, the responsibility is even greater."

"All the time, they are moaning—'India has got this, India has got that.' It's constant. We must just ignore it. Let them keep moaning. We have better things to focus on. That is the kind of attitude you must have," he added.

He also highlighted India's significant role in global cricket, both in terms of performance and financial contributions.

"As I said before, it's not even worth commenting on. It really isn't. They are always moaning. They just cannot seem to understand where India stands in international cricket—in terms of quality, income, talent, and, more importantly, in terms of generating revenue," he said.

"India's contribution to global cricket—through television rights and media revenue—plays a massive role. They need to understand that their salaries also come from what India brings to the world of cricket," he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that India remains the only team playing all its matches in Dubai after the Indian government declined permission to travel to Pakistan.

Former England cricketers Hussain and Atherton argue that this provides India an unfair advantage over teams that must travel between venues.

However, the English team themselves lost both their games at the same venue (Lahore) and will only travel to Karachi for their final group-stage match against South Africa.

Additionally, teams like Australia and Afghanistan have also played two of their three group-stage matches at a single venue, making India's situation not as unique as some suggest.not as unique as some suggest.