There was a time, before they had been fully Glazered and long before Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided all the staff should eat soup, that Manchester United were simultaneously the most popular and unpopular football team in the world.
Perennially successful, and with all the sport’s most recognisable players, they had more supporters than anyone else. But everyone outside of that hated them. It was a case of ABU: Anyone But United.
Has world cricket become a case of ABI: Anyone But India? At times over the past couple of weeks, it certainly felt like it.
They are unquestionably the best backed side in world cricket. With a large chunk of India’s 1.4 billion population being cricket mad, simple maths suggests no sports team ever has enjoyed quite the support they do.
The scenes across the country in the wake of their Champions Trophy win were testament to it. There were outpourings of joy from Amritsar to Ahmedabad, and everywhere else besides.
But what does everyone else make of them? Hate is definitely a bit much. It is difficult to stay too cross when you see one of Rohit Sharma’s pull shots, or a Shubman Gill straight drive, or a spitting carrom ball by Varun Chakravarthy, or Mohammed Shami and that seam position. Let alone the theatre of Virat Kohli’s every movement.
And yet the perception for many is that the dice is being increasingly loaded in India’s favour, and that it makes them less easy to like.
A third of the 15 matches at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Pakistan, to give it its full name, were not staged in the nominal host country. That included the final.
In Dubai, we were the lucky beneficiaries. Five packed out fixtures, watching an all-time great side, at a venue that is no stranger to box-office events. The fan experience at Dubai International Stadium is better than it has ever been before.
So, what’s not to like? Maybe it was the lingering feeling that decisions are made with India’s interests in mind, and the hostility with which any challenge to that is met.
Playing every match at the same venue is an advantage. It does not guarantee success, but it helps.
India had no choice in this. It was a government decision for their national team not to travel to Pakistan for this tournament, not a cricket one.
Had the neutral venue not been an option, they would not have been able to play. Even if the impasse had been navigated, and they had gone to Pakistan, all their matches would have been at one venue in Lahore anyway.
And remember, this is a reciprocal arrangement. Whenever India host tournaments in the foreseeable future, Pakistan will have the same privilege India had at this one. Meaning, basing themselves at a neutral venue, potentially Dubai again.
Whether they overpower everyone in the same way India did feels very unlikely, given the state of Pakistan’s national team at present.
This is not a new phenomenon. India were due to be hosts of the 2018 Asia Cup. In the end, circumstances dictated all that event was transposed to the UAE.
The fixture schedule for that was announced two months ahead of the tournament. Initially, it followed the tried and tested format of group placings dictating where knockout matches were staged.
Then, after the tournament had started, the schedule was suddenly revised so India could play its knockout matches in Dubai, no matter where they finished in the group. Bangladesh and Pakistan both criticised the decision. Obviously, both were wasting their breath.
In the time since, it has gradually become standard that there is one schedule for India, and everyone else has to plan theirs – often at late notice – around it.
In 2023, at another Asia Cup, in which Pakistan were the nominated hosts, nine of 15 matches were staged in Sri Lanka instead. India’s encounter with Pakistan was the only group game in which there was a scheduled reserve day.
At the 2024 T20 World Cup, India knew they would be playing their semi-final in Guyana ahead of time – so long as they qualified. Now there was this Champions Trophy, where India were able to set up base in Dubai for the duration.
The erosion of the integrity of tournaments has become accepted. And pointing it out is a poisonously polarising business.
That is not to say India are not the best team. They are. By miles. They are No 1 in the world rankings, and have won 23 of 24 matches at major ICC events in the past three years.
It is global domination on any metric, in any format, no matter where they play. They even coasted to the Champions Trophy title without arguably their best player, the injured Jasprit Bumrah.
But every time a valid point is there to be made that does not wholly endorse India, the answer cannot always be: well, they bring in all the money/are paying your wages.
Why so defensive? The issue at the Champions Trophy germinated from a podcast by Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain, two of the best informed and most measured commentators in the game. Ex-England captains, yes, but devoid of jingoism.
Having assessed the demise of England, they turned their attention to the rest of the sides, and stated India had an “undeniable advantage” by being based at one venue.
Cue the counter-attack. “They just cannot seem to understand where India stands in international cricket, in terms of quality, income, talent, and, more importantly, in terms of generating revenue,” Sunil Gavaskar, the India great, was quoted as saying by India Today.
“India’s contribution to global cricket, through television rights and media revenue, plays a massive role. They need to understand that their salaries also come from what India brings to the world of cricket.”
The team themselves were riled. Rohit pointed out “this not out our home. This is Dubai,” and Gautam Gambhir played more shots than he was known doing for as a player.
“Some people are just perpetual cribbers, man,” Gambhir, now the India coach, said. “They’ve got to grow up. I feel that there was nothing like we had any undue advantage.”
But then Shami went off message and absent-mindedly pointed out the blindingly obvious. “It definitely helped us because we know the conditions and the behaviour of the pitch,” Shami said. “It is a plus point that you are playing all the matches at one venue.”
Of course it was. As South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen put it, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that.
An obvious way it helped was to inform squad selection. Another was that India knew how hard to push when batting.
The experience of playing there in recent days – even on a different pitch - would have given them a gauge of what a par total was when batting first, for example, or how the conditions might alter across the course of a run chase.
Maybe they had that knowledge already from experience. India’s XI for the final have played nearly 1,400 ODIs between them, almost exactly double that of their opponents New Zealand.
So they have accrued plenty enough savvy to assess and adapt on the hoof. But their instincts were also informed by what happened in the previous games, too.
The advantage was not necessarily an unfair one, or even unprecedented. Teams have had a sequence of appearances at the same venue at tournaments in the past, too.
Way back in the mists of time, England staged the first three ODI World Cups, for all the good it did them. A common gripe among some India fans is that they don’t want to be lectured by a former power like England, given how inward looking they were when they ran the game.
The counterpoint to that is that you can’t change the past, but you can use it to shape a better future.
India did not need to play all their matches in Dubai to win the Champions Trophy. They could have played in the car park out the back of the stadium and still taken everyone else to the cleaners.
They are so far ahead of the rest. But skewing tournament schedules to suit them does them no favours, and detracts from their greatness. Just make it a clean fight in future.
Read next: If this is Rohit and Kohli’s last dance, India’s rebuild need not be painful
The Laughing Apple
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
(Verve Decca Crossover)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
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Scorecard:
England 458 & 119/1 (51.0 ov)
South Africa 361
England lead by 216 runs with 9 wickets remaining
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
Naga
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
SPECS
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
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Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
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Company%20profile
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
