The Indian cricket team is preparing for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy which will get underway on February 19 with Pakistan taking on New Zealand in Karachi. India’s quest to raise the trophy for a record third time will begin a day later, against Bangladesh.
Even though the tournament is being hosted by Pakistan, India’s matches will take place in Dubai at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had pressed the International Cricket Council (ICC) to find a solution after the Indian board expressed inability to travel to the neighbours due to security concerns. Eventually, India’s matches were moved to the UAE with one semi-final also set to take place in Dubai. Additionally, if India go all the way, the final will also take place in Dubai.
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So, India will play all their matches in Dubai and have established their base in the city after landing on February 15 and going through two practice sessions so far.
The Men in Blue will kick off their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, followed by a highly anticipated match against Pakistan. Their group campaign concludes with a clash versus New Zealand on March 2.
India’s record in Dubai
| Overall | in ODIs | |
| Played | 15 | 6 |
| Wins | 10 | 5 |
| Losses | 4 | 0 |
| Tied | 1 | 1 |
India have played 15 matches across formats in Dubai, racking up 10 wins, four defeats and a tie. In ODIs, meanwhile, the format for the Champions Trophy, India have been flawless at the venue.
India have played six ODIs in Dubai, winning five with one finishing in a tie against Afghanistan. All these matches came during the 2018 Asia Cup, which India won under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma.
The right-hander has a stellar record in Dubai in ODIs. The India captain has tallied 317 runs from five ODIs in Dubai at an average of 105.66. He’s posted one century and two fifties in these matches.
However, the record for most runs by an Indian in Dubai belongs to Shikhar Dhawan. The southpaw scored 342 runs in five matches at an average of 68.40, strike rate of 102.08 while stitching two centuries. He also holds the record for the biggest individual total by an Indian at this venue (127 runs).
| India men’s cricket team in ODIs in Dubai | |
| Highest score | 285/7 |
| Lowest score | 164/2 |
| Most runs | Shikhar Dhawan (342 runs) |
| Highest individual score | Shikhar Dhawan (127 runs) |
| Most wickets | Kuldeep Yadav (10 wickets) |
| Best bowling figures | Ravindra Jadeja (4/29) |
Over on the bowling front, Kuldeep Yadav leads the wicket-taking charts for India in Dubai. The chinaman picked 10 wickets from six matches at an average of 23.70 and economy of 4.08.
The best bowling figures by an Indian in Dubai is by another left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja. The 36-year-old took 4/29 against Bangladesh during the 2018 Asia Cup, a spell that earned him the Player of the Match honours in the Super Four stage.
India ODI matches in Dubai:
18 September 2018 – beat Hong Kong by 26 runs
19 September 2018 – beat Pakistan by 8 wickets
21 September 2018 – beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets
23 September 2018 – beat Pakistan by 9 wickets
25 September 2018 – tied with Afghanistan
28 September 2018 – beat Bangladesh by 3 wickets