Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said that India would've won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 even if they had played outside of Dubai. There was widespread criticism of team India for playing all of their matches in Dubai throughout the tournament. India beat New Zealand by four wickets in the final.
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00:00And joining me now is Sunil Gavaskar, we are going to raise that big question, is this
00:05the best ODI team and we'll also have our selection of India's best ever ODI team.
00:11Mr. Gavaskar, this Indian team has won 22 of their last 23 completed ICC white ball
00:17matches.
00:19Is this in your view the best ever Indian ODI team, white ball team?
00:26This is the best white ball team in the world at the moment, over the last couple of years
00:31definitely.
00:32I'm very, very reluctant to compare players and teams of different eras and different
00:39generations because of all the playing conditions, everything is different.
00:43The 1983 team that won the first World Cup played with a red ball and with no field restrictions,
00:49none of the two fielders outside, three fielders outside, none of that.
00:54Bouncers were freely allowed, the 2011 team was also playing under different conditions.
01:02So it's very difficult to compare teams.
01:05Like I said, this is the best team over the last two or three years in the white ball
01:09game.
01:10This Indian team is the best in the last couple of years because their performances, you just
01:15mentioned 22 out of 23 games that they won, that just tells you how dominant they are.
01:22What for you, Mr. Gavaskar, has been the standout aspect of this team that makes it
01:26really such a match-winning side?
01:33The all-round strength, the all-round strength of this team where the batting could be, batting
01:37order could be shuffled by the captain, the bowling, the options were such that the bowlers
01:42could be brought on at different times, different ends, depending on who the batter was, left
01:47hand, right hand, depending on what the size of the boundary on either side was, depending
01:52on where the breeze was coming from.
01:54So those options that the captain had was terrific.
01:59But then the captain had to utilize the strengths that he had in the ideal manner.
02:05And that is what was also the difference.
02:08The captain was superb in the way he handled his bowlers, the way he shuffled the batting
02:14order up and down, the field placing, the bowling changes, everything was absolutely
02:19top class.
02:20So that was the difference.
02:21The all-round strength and the captaincy, which was not quite seen in other teams.
02:27Interesting the way you're praising Rohit Sharma's captaincy, but how much of a difference
02:31Mr. Gavaskar at the end of the day did playing in Dubai, playing on slow spinning surfaces
02:37with a spin quartet?
02:43It was not a question of playing in Dubai or anywhere else, it's a question of playing
02:49good cricket.
02:50And that's what this Indian team did.
02:52Even if they had to play on different surfaces, they would have been able to do that.
02:58When you win 22, like you've just said, 22 out of 23 matches played in different conditions.
03:05Only five matches have been played in Dubai out of the 22 that have been won.
03:10The other 17 matches have been played elsewhere, different pitches, different conditions.
03:15So that actually tells you that if they had to play anywhere else, the result would still
03:20have been the same.
03:21India would still have been the champions.
03:24What for you was the turning point, though, in that final against New Zealand?
03:28Almost went to the wire, but when did that match turn?
03:35Possibly the wicket of Rachin Ravindra, because he was batting so well, Kuldeep Yadav getting
03:40out first ball was the reason why the Kiwi slowed down.
03:45Then in the next over, Kuldeep getting Kane Williams and another heavy scorer in the tournament
03:51cotton ball.
03:52That also was a big turning point.
03:54Otherwise, New Zealand could have ended up with maybe 280, 290.
03:59Both these informed batters had stitched together a partnership.
04:04Is there any player you want to single out in this Indian team for special praise, Mr.
04:08Gavaskar?
04:10I'd single out Kuldeep Yadav, because sometimes he goes under the radar, he picks wickets
04:17for you.
04:18I'll also look at KL Rahul.
04:20He kept wickets superbly and when needed, when he came into bat, he batted in a very
04:26positive manner.
04:27A couple of sixes that he hit in both the semis as well in the final, absolutely top-class
04:31batting.
04:32So these are the two players I would certainly look at.
04:38Just a final question.
04:39Do you think Rohit Sharma should now step aside from red ball cricket, just focus on
04:43white ball and probably hope to lift the 2027 World Cup?
04:49That is for Ajit Agarkar and his selection committee to decide, not for me.
04:56Sunil Gavaskar leaving that ball outside the off stump with that last question.
05:00I was speaking to him earlier.
05:02He was in Dubai.