Although the English trio of Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton and David Llyod faced the most criticism amid the debate on India having had an advantage of playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, it was Australia's Pat Cummins who first sparked the discussion. His statement came amid India's group-stage campaign last month. However, his teammate Mitchell Starc discarded the theory as he offered a fresh perspective to the debate.
Like the former English cricketers, Cummins claimed India "got that obvious benefit of playing all their games there (Dubai)." Aussie media also sided with the captain, who unfortunately missed the tournament due to an injury, saying there will always "be an asterisk" on India's Champions Trophy title win.
However, Starc blasted the narrative as he reminded critics that BCCI's rule bars Indian players from participating in overseas leagues, while cricketers worldwide can play in any league, which allows them to know all the conditions.
"I'm not sure it is an advantage per se because as cricketers we have got all the opportunities to play all franchises in the world, but the Indian guys can only play in the IPL. So, I don't think you can sit on that because you have got guys who play across five to six different franchise leagues a year So, even they are getting the exposure to white-ball cricket," Starc said on Fanatics TV.
'Australian fans will say no...'
Starc, who missed the Champions Trophy as well, admitted he wasn't surprised that the Rohit Sharma-led side lifted the trophy after completing an unbeaten run to the title win. However, when asked if they are the best white-ball team ever, he pointed out that they have yet to win the ODI World Cup.
{{/usCountry}}Starc, who missed the Champions Trophy as well, admitted he wasn't surprised that the Rohit Sharma-led side lifted the trophy after completing an unbeaten run to the title win. However, when asked if they are the best white-ball team ever, he pointed out that they have yet to win the ODI World Cup.
{{/usCountry}}"Not surprised that India won. I'll be honest here, I did not watch a single ball. I'm not sure I watched much of the Champions Trophy at all. Just bits and pieces of the Aussie games. I played with Chakaravarthy with KKR last season, he is a huge talent, an interesting bowler. Now whether they are the best white-ball team ever? The Indian fans will say yes, the Australian fans will probably say no," Starc added.