Comment: How long can world cricket stomach India's bullying?

The ongoing ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan (and the UAE) has further revealed the influence that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has on the decision-making within the ICC.

The Indian team is currently based in Dubai because of their diplomatic beef with Pakistan, forcing Pakistan to become the first host country of an ICC event to be forced to board an international flight for a fixture of a tournament that they are hosting.

Moreover, because of the control the BCCI seems to have over the ICC, South Africa has had to spend six more hours in the air, travelling from Pakistan to Dubai and back in 24 hours for the now-confirmed semi-final fixture against New Zealand on Wednesday.

Last week, there were a number of pundits and fans around the world who had the courage to speak out about the ongoing bullying that India is seemingly subjecting world cricket to.

However, to the few of us who dare to ask questions, it does not come as a surprise that the game finds itself in this position once again, a position where it is blatantly clear that India calls the shots in world cricket.

If anything is different between the 2024 T20 World Cup and the ongoing Champions trophy, it is that India is getting more confident in flexing their muscles for the whole world to see. During the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, India had several unfair advantages.

They had more rest days in between fixtures than other teams and knew before the tournament started that they would play their semi-final in Guyana thus selecting their squad accordingly.

Moreover, India's semi-final against England had no reserve day, a feat that would have benefited India having topped their Super Eights group. On the other hand, the South Africa v Afghanistan semi-final had a reserve day.

India went on to win that World Cup, beating South Africa in the final to win their second T20 World Cup trophy.

With the ongoing Champions Trophy, they have enjoyed even more advantages, playing on the same ground and in the same conditions while doing zero travelling.

The main question is, how long can world cricket stomach the bullying?