Wasim Jaffer rips apart Nasser Hussain, Pat Cummins' led advantage-India campaign with brutal sarcasm

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer has opened up about whether the Rohit Sharma-led team has an unfair advantage in the Champions Trophy 2025. Wasim Jaffer said that India should also have played group-stage matches in other venues in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), such as Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

India are set to play all their matches in Dubai, while other teams have had to travel between three venues in Pakistan and also to Dubai for matches against India. Several experts, including Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, have criticized the scheduling, adding that it gives India an unfair advantage.

Wasim Jaffer Dismisses Concerns Raised by Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton

Wasim Jaffer mocked the concerns raised by Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton, who stated that India benefited from not having to travel like other teams. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Jaffer said that the ICC could have scheduled India's matches in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah to avoid controversy.

"Just to make these guys happy, the ICC should have probably played India one game in Sharjah and one game in Abu Dhabi and probably allowed them to check in into another hotel. Then, this topic wouldn't have come up. Yeah, I mean, if India doesn't want to go, Pakistan and every country has that choice," Jaffer said.

"India, obviously for political reasons or the government's involvement, doesn't want to go there. So then, what choices do we have? I mean, we want India and Pakistan to play in this tournament. A tournament is not going to happen without India. So, just to silence all these things, India should have played in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and should have checked into another hotel here and there just to stop this conversation."

India Never Played Two Back-to-Back Games - Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer countered Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton by stating that India played at nine different venues during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Jaffer added that no Indian players or experts complained about it.

"If you talk about the 2023 World Cup, India played on all nine different venues. India never played two back-to-back games whereas all the other teams played, and we never mentioned that," Jaffer said.

"Pakistan played in Hyderabad, I think, for a couple of games; Bangladesh played in Kolkata. Many other teams also played back-to-back games, but India never played. But we never mentioned that. Eventually, you have to play good cricket to win tournaments and lift the trophy," he said.

BCCI Refused to Send Team India to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send the team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025 due to security concerns. After months of discussions, the PCB agreed to a hybrid model, with the India team playing all their matches in Dubai, including the potential final if they qualify.

The first semi-final of the marquee tournament, featuring India, is scheduled to take place in Dubai on March 4. Notably, the final will also be held at the same venue on March 9 if India qualify for the summit clash.

India have secured a semi-final spot in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after back-to-back six-wicket wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan in Dubai. They will face New Zealand on March 2 in their final group-stage match, which will determine the Group A table topper.

Also read: Ravindra Jadeja to be axed? Washington Sundar's selection backed for IND vs NZ CT 2025 match