The Indian Men’s cricket team played 3 matches in Group A: Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand, and won all three in Dubai. The team played a semi-final match against Australia yesterday and won that match in Dubai. The final game will be played on Sun, March 9th, against either New Zealand or South Africa, in Dubai.
Notice a pattern here? CT2025 was supposed to be a tournament hosted by the defending champions, Pakistan, in their home country. So, why are all of India’s matches being held in Dubai? The reason is simple: since 2008, the relationship between India and Pakistan has soured in every aspect. Pakistanis require extra scrutiny while entering India. Indians don’t travel to Pakistan at all. This has spilled into sports as well.
But is this fair? With the weather being unpredictable everywhere nowadays, many matches in Rawalpindi and Lahore have not been played. Conversely, India arrived in Dubai 10 days ago and has not had to leave its hotel. They play five matches (including the final) in the same stadium for about two weeks, while other teams must travel between Pakistan and the U.A.E. Was this tournament biased towards India?
I’ll be rooting for India on Sunday, March 9, whatever team they have to play. Whether India wins or loses, I wonder if there should be an asterisk next to the CT2025 final match.
Sagar's Blog 