'India would’ve won anywhere': Wasim Akram destroys 'Dubai advantage' whiners

Wasim Akram has boldly claimed that the India National Cricket Team would have won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 even if they had played all their matches in Pakistan. Wasim Akram dismissed the controversy over India having an unfair advantage of playing all their matches in Dubai with a sharp statement after their record third Champions Trophy triumph.

Notably, the India National Cricket Team refused to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to security and political reasons, resulting in the ICC having to stage all their games in Dubai, including the semifinal against Australia and the final against New Zealand.

Wasim Akram shuts down "home advantage" controversy after India clinches ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Well, India’s dominant run throughout the tournament left many to question whether the so-called home-like advantage played a role in their ICC Champions Trophy glory. However, the legendary fast bowler and former Pakistan captain called all these talks totally rubbish while highlighting India’s unbeaten finish.

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Akram dismissed any claims of India benefiting from playing in Dubai, as he emphasized that their performance across the departments proved they were the best team in the tournament. He also highlighted that India's back-to-back success in ICC events proves their depth in talent and strong leadership.

Notably, India had won the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean, and they had finished the tournament as an unbeaten side. Before this, they only lost the final to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup at home. So, the Pakistani pace bowling great felt this Indian team can win anywhere in the world, and their consistency makes them probably one of the most dangerous teams of the modern era.

This Indian team would have won the Champions Trophy anywhere in the world: Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram said on the Dressing Room show, “This Indian team would have won it anywhere in the world. Yes, there were a lot of talks, but once it was decided that India would play all of their matches in Dubai, had they played in Pakistan, they would have won there as well. They won the 2024 T20 World Cup without losing a game; they went on to win the Champions Trophy without losing even one game, which shows the depth in their cricket and shows the leadership.”

Meanwhile, the legendary Pakistan fast bowler credited the BCCI for the team's success as they supported the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir when everyone was against them during the team’s recent struggles.

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Wasim Akram credits BCCI for India's historic Champions Trophy triumph

He pointed out that there was pressure to make changes after India’s embarrassing ODI series loss in Sri Lanka, the whitewash at home in the Test series at the hands of New Zealand, and most recently the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 loss to Australia in more than a decade.

Akram signed off by saying, “If you remember, they lost to New Zealand 3-0 in the Test series at home, lost the Border-Gavaskar trophy, and lost the series in Sri Lanka, so they were under pressure to remove the captain and the coach, but sanity prevailed. BCCI backed them, said this is our captain, this is our coach, and now they are the champions of the champion.”