"Feel very uncomfortable with Team India"- Another England Cricketer launches attack after CT exit

The ongoing Champions Trophy has been affected by various controversies in the last few months. One of those controversies was India's refusal to play in Pakistan. As a result, the tournament was decided to be held in a hybrid model with India playing its matches in Dubai.

However, former England cricketers Jonathan Agnew and Michael Atherton have slammed India for receiving such a treatment. Both of them feel that the Men in Blue will get an unfair advantage since they are playing at just one venue.

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"I feel very uncomfortable" - Jonathan Agnew on hybrid model

While speaking to ABC Sport, former England cricketer Jonathan Agnew shed light on the hybrid model for the Champions Trophy. He believes that a team cannot pick and choose venues according to them and calls it "wrong".

"I feel very uncomfortable about the way that India is being treated at the moment. This is wrong. If you're going to play an international tournament you can't pick and choose where you play and where you're not going to play," Agnew argued.

"I don't see how long this can carry on for. It makes a farce of these tournaments," the famous cricket broadcaster added.

While all the other teams are playing their matches in three venues in Pakistan - Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Karachi, the Men in Blue are playing in Dubai. They will continue to play in Dubai even if they reach the knockouts.

The tournament was decided to be played in a hybrid model after the BCCI refused to send its team to Pakistan as they didn't get the required permission from the country's government.

Michael Atherton on the unfair advantage

Former England cricketer and current commentator Michael Atherton also spoke about the advantage as they are playing on just one ground. He called it an "undeniable advantage" and claimed that they won't be needed to tinker with the Playing XI much.

"What about the advantage India have in playing only in Dubai - which seems to me to be a hard-to-quantify advantage, but an undeniable advantage?" Atherton said during a conversation with former England skipper Nasser Husain on Sky Sports.

"They're playing at just one venue. Therefore, the selection, you know, can focus on the conditions in Dubai," he further added.

The conditions in Dubai are different from those in Pakistan. The venues in Pakistan have produced big scores so far, however, Dubai has been low-scoring. Dew has been a common factor in all the Pakistani venues so far but it hasn't been a factor in Dubai.

India into the semi-final

Rohit Sharma and his men won their first two matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan to secure their place in the semi-finals. New Zealand are the other side from Group A to qualify for the next stage. Bangladesh and hosts Pakistan have been knocked out of the tournament.

The Men in Blue will play their semi-final fixture on March 4 in Dubai irrespective of the standings in the group. They will play their final group match against New Zealand on March 2 which will decide the winner of the group.