The Champions Trophy 2025 is presently in its group stage, and there have been no grievances concerning Pakistan's ability to host the event. However, prior to the tournament, there was considerable drama, particularly regarding the political relations between India and Pakistan. As a result of the ongoing political tensions, Rohit Sharma and his team opted not to travel to Pakistan, with all their matches being conducted in Dubai.

The ICC's decision has drawn criticism from certain segments of the cricket community. Numerous individuals believe that playing all their matches at a single venue in Dubai provides India with a considerable advantage.

Pat Cummins unhappy with ICC's decision

Recently, during a discussion with Yahoo Sports Australia, Pat Cummins addressed the opinions of various experts who believe that playing in Dubai provides India with a significant advantage. He stated, “It is positive that the tournament can proceed, but it certainly offers them (India) a considerable edge to compete on familiar ground. They appear to be in formidable form and benefit from the fact that all their matches are held there.”

Cummins is currently sidelined due to an injury that has prevented him from participating in the ongoing tournament.

India commenced their campaign with a dominant six-wicket victory over Bangladesh, where Shubman Gill played a pivotal role with an unbeaten century. They followed this with another six-wicket triumph against their long-time rivals, Pakistan, which propelled them to the top of Group A. In pursuit of 242 runs, India successfully reached 244/4 in just 42.3 overs, with Virat Kohli contributing a match-winning century (100* off 111 balls). Additionally, Shreyas Iyer made a vital contribution with 56 runs off 67 balls. For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi managed to take two wickets.

Initially, India’s bowlers, led by Kuldeep Yadav with three wickets and Hardik Pandya with two dismissals, restricted Pakistan to a total of 241 runs in 49.4 overs, with Saud Shakeel scoring 62 runs off 76 balls.

The hosts now face a daunting challenge to qualify for the semi-finals and require an extraordinary turnaround. Following the match, captain Mohammad Rizwan expressed his disappointment with the team's performance and acknowledged that their campaign has come to an end.

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