Gavaskar’s Gambhir-style hit back at ‘cribbers’ after Champions Trophy win: ‘India the best white-ball team on planet’
Shortly after India‘s triumph in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, Sunil Gavaskar labelled Rohit Sharma and co the “best white ball team on the planet.” India defeated New Zealand by four wickets in the summit clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to win their third Champions Trophy title after 2002 and 2013.
This victory marked India’s second ICC title in eight years. Last year, Rohit’s team ended a decade-long trophy drought by winning the T20 World Cup. The side had also reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, but India came up short in the summit clash against Australia.
Throughout the Champions Trophy, the discourse has been about whether India had an advantage in the eight-team tournament as they were stationed in Dubai and were well-versed in the pitch conditions.
Unlike the other teams, India did not travel anywhere, and several cricket pundits, such as Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, and Vivian Richards, talked about India’s significant advantage.
However, Gavaskar quashed all this chatter, saying “cribbers can crib” but no one can deny that India are the best white ball team on the planet.
“Without a question, any team that reaches all three finals, the 50-over final where they finished as runners-up, the T20 World Cup victory, and now the Champions Trophy must be considered the best white-ball team on the planet,” Gavaskar told India Today.
‘Cribbers can crib’
India reached the final of the Champions Trophy 2025 by beating Australia in the semi-final. The side topped Group A earlier by beating Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand.
Gavaskar echoed head coach Gautam Gambhir’s comments, saying some people will continue to crib no matter what.
“There’s no doubt whatsoever. Cribbers might crib, as Gambhir said, but to be able to reach all these finals, with no home advantage, and still win, speaks for itself,” Gavaskar said.
After India’s semi-final win against Australia in Dubai, Gautam Gambhir was asked whether his side had the advantage of knowing the conditions and preparing well in advance.
Gambhir rubbished these talks, saying some people are “perpetual cribbers” who need to “grow up.”
“There’s a lot of debate about the undue advantage and all that. What undue advantage? We haven’t practised here even for a day. We’re practising at the ICC Academy. If you look at the wickets there and here, the difference is between the ground and the sky. Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man. They’ve got to grow up. So, I feel that there was nothing like we had any undue advantage or we had planned something like that,” said Gambhir.
