Former Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan has contributed to the ongoing debate regarding the scheduling of the 2025 Champions Trophy by subtly attributing advantages to the BCCI and the Indian team. His remarks were made just prior to the final match between India and New Zealand at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

In a social media post, Junaid highlighted the significant differences in travel distances for the three participating teams: India, New Zealand, and South Africa. He noted that South Africa, which was eliminated in the semifinal earlier this week, covered a distance of 3,286 kilometers, which included an unproductive trip to Dubai and back to Pakistan within a span of less than 12 hours due to uncertainties surrounding their semifinal match. In contrast, New Zealand, which competed at all four venues, traveled a total of 7,150 kilometers. Meanwhile, the Indian team benefited from not having to travel, as all their matches were held in Dubai.

"Distance traveled between matches in Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand: 7,150 KM, South Africa: 3,286 KM, India: 0 KM. Some teams win by skill, some win by scheduling...," he expressed in his tweet.

Advantage India?

Geopolitical factors have hindered the Indian team's ability to travel to Pakistan for the ICC tournament, compelling the ICC to designate the UAE as the neutral venue for all of India's matches. This situation has led to accusations that India is benefiting from the arrangement by playing all their games in a single location, while other teams are required to travel across multiple cities.

In response to these allegations, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir refuted the notion of any unfair advantage.

"There is considerable discussion regarding this supposed undue advantage. What advantage are we talking about? We have not trained here even for a single day. Our practice sessions are taking place at the ICC Academy, and the conditions there differ significantly from those here," he stated following India's semifinal victory against Australia.

"When comparing the pitches at both locations, the disparity is vast. Some individuals seem to be chronic complainers. They need to mature. Therefore, I believe there is no basis for the claim that we have any undue advantage or that we orchestrated anything of the sort."

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