India are playing their Champions Trophy matches at one venue in Dubai.
They argued that India's familiarity with the conditions in Dubai and their lack of travel between venues gave them an "undeniable advantage."
The criticism only grew louder as current crop of cricketers like Jos Buttler, David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen also complained about the tournament's scheduling.
However, former India skipper Sourav Ganguly doesn’t believe that the Men in Blue were given an advantage despite their unbeaten run in the eight-team tournament so far.
Ganguly said India did not agree to play all their matches in Dubai at their own will, and it was just how the circumstances unfolded. He also stated that the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill missed out on playing on the flat Pakistani pitches.
"What's the choice? I don't think India has agreed to play all their matches in Dubai on their will. It's because they can't go to Pakistan. It's because the government of India doesn't allow them to go to Pakistan. So it's not in India's hands. That's the way it is. And I remember I was BCCI President in 2020, and we allotted the Champions Trophy to Pakistan," Ganguly said at the Tata Steel Trailblazers sports conclave, organized by RevSportz.
"And I was a part of the team that allocated all the World Cups till 2031. India will have the 2026 World Cup, the 2029 Champions Trophy, and the 2031 World Cup again. So it's not something which India has done. It's just that you can't go to Pakistan. And I can tell you, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kale Rahul, Shreyas Iyer will be feeling sad they can't get to bat on those pitches in Lahore and Karachi where oppositions are scoring 350," he added.
"Oppositions are scoring 350. Australia scored 350. England scored 350. Australia chased it. New Zealand scored 360. And you look at the scores in Dubai, 240, 250. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Shubman Gill will be thinking, 'why don't we get those wickets in Dubai? And I get three or four hundreds.' Actually, India is missing out on flat pitches away from Pakistan," he continued.
Ganguly further highlighted how India won all of their matches in the 2023 ODI World Cup, except for the final, despite travelling to nine cities. He also discussed the hectic schedule of the 2024 T20 World Cup, which saw the Rohit Sharma-led side travelling to eight cities and still winning the tournament.
"And I must say that India is missing out. India won in India, where they went around the nine cities. They went to West Indies where they went around eight cities to win the T20 World Cup. So, I don't think it's got anything to do with India staying in Dubai. It's just that what it is," Ganguly stated.
"England don't go to Zimbabwe. And I remember in 2003 World Cup when I was captain, during the World Cup, India had Zimbabwe in their group and England had Zimbabwe in their group. They conceded points to Zimbabwe because they wouldn't go to Zimbabwe. So, every country has their own way of doing things and I don't think it's any fault of the Indian cricket team or the board that they haven't gone to Pakistan," he remarked.
Having defeated Bangladesh, Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia in the group-stage and the semi-final, India will now face the Kiwis in the Champions Trophy final on Sunday (March 9) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.