India's White-Ball Supremacy-Sunil Gavaskar Praises Rohit Sharma's Team, Brushes Off Criticism

India's supremacy in white-ball cricket has been lauded again, with cricket great Sunil Gavaskar showering praise on Rohit Sharma's team. After their stunning win in the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, Gavaskar referred to India as the "best white-ball team on the planet," seconding the blunt words of head coach Gautam Gambhir against the critics.

A Historic White-Ball Run for India

India's recent record in ICC events has been nothing short of spectacular. In the past year alone, the team reached the final of the 50-over World Cup, won the T20 World Cup, and now the Champions Trophy. Such consistency across formats and conditions is a testament to India's white-ball dominance.

Any team which is eligible for all three ICC finals and wins four out of them without being bestowed with any home advantage has to be rated as the world's best white-ball team," asserted Gavaskar in a telephonic interview to India Today. "No doubt at all. They've played very very well, and the records will also prove that.".

This unflappable dominance has fetched global acclaim for Rohit Sharma's captaincy and the side's capability of standing up on diverse surfaces. 

Against the 'Cribbers'-Gambhir and Gavaskar Strike Back

While they won, India's Champions Trophy victory was greeted with too much skepticism, in the form of allegations that the team had an uneven advantage since all their games were played in Dubai. Never one to beat around the bush, head coach Gautam Gambhir condemned such allegations at a post-match press conference.

"Cribbers will crib. Instead of making excuses, people need to observe how well this team has played," Gambhir asserted. He had said that team selection was not based on the destination but on strategy. "If we were playing in Pakistan or any other part of the subcontinent, we would have taken two frontline spinners. It was not that we were attempting to create conditions in our own interest. And, if you see the records closely, in our first three games, we had utilised only one specialist spinner."

Gavaskar corroborated Gambhir's statement, pointing out that India's performance was a reflection of their supremacy, not some supposed advantage. "This sort of criticism is unfounded. India have not played in Dubai for a while. This was as even a surface for them as it was for any other side. To have won under such conditions can only be added to their supremacy."

Danish Kaneria Enters the Fray

Interestingly, even Danish Kaneria, the former Pakistan spinner, joined in to prevent India from taking an obvious advantage. He pointed out that, if anything, Dubai was Pakistan's backyard for years, and India had not played much cricket there before the Champions Trophy.

"There will be debates in Pakistan for the next few days about how India won the trophy when Pakistan was the host nation. I do not understand such remarks. Dubai was not India's home ground—it was formerly the home ground of Pakistan. The theory that India benefited with familiarity of the ground is completely wrong," Kaneria said.

This attitude also discredits the contention that India obtained an inappropriate advantage, and their victory has the legitimacy attributed to it. 

Rohit Sharma's Captaincy-A Defining Era in White-Ball Cricket

One of the largest lessons from India's white-ball cricket success is the job of Rohit Sharma as captain. Since becoming captain, he has built a team capable of playing under pressure and coping with varied conditions with ease. From India's strategic acumen in the T20 World Cup to their tactical equilibrium in the Champions Trophy, his leadership has been instrumental in maintaining consistency at the international level.

Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Kuldeep Yadav have thrived under Rohit's leadership, delivering match-winning performances in tight situations. The knack of combining experience with new talent has been the signature of this Indian side.

India's Future in White-Ball Cricket

With two ICC titles in a year and a second-place finish in another, India has created an elite standard in limited-overs cricket. With the team now turning its attention to future international competitions, its focus will be on prolonging this winning streak. The presence of a good core team, a stable captain, and a strong coaching panel driven by Gambhir places India firmly in contention to keep overwhelming world cricket.

Gavaskar's claim of the team being the best white-ball team is no reaction of the moment to the Champions Trophy triumph but a richly deserved praise for their consistent excellence. And before the 'cribbers' are even trying to make excuses for India's triumph, the team's performance is the best retort.

In Sunil Gavaskar's words: "Let results speak for themselves. This team has proved why they are the best in the world. No more doubts, no more arguments."