India is all set to play in the Champions Trophy 2025, but not at the venue where every team is playing. Pakistan, the host, will host the Champions Trophy matches at three venues, National Stadium Karachi, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. A total of 8 teams, including India, will participate, with India playing their matches in Dubai while the other teams will play in Pakistan’s host cities.
If we look at the past, when the news broke that India would not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025, a fuss started about what the ICC would do. The BCCI had already suggested a hybrid model, but initially, the Pakistan Cricket Board was not ready, leading to confusion within the ICC. But In the end it was BCCI came on top vs PCB, and now the UAE came forward, and now the Dubai International Stadium is set to host all of India’s group matches. If India qualifies for the knockouts, the stadium will remain the same.
However, many Indian fans believe the ICC could have considered other venues. Before putting forward the final verdict, let’s take a look at India’s record at this ground to see and check also which venue could have been a better option than Dubai.
What India’s record say at Dubai International Stadium?
India has secured 5 wins out of 6 games in ODIs, but if we look at the two games, against Bangladesh in the final and Afghanistan in Asia Cup group stage results came after hard-fought battles. What came into the spotlight was India’s bowling, which failed to take wickets on a regular basis, something they cannot afford now for the Champions Trophy. It was also in 2018 when India last played ODIs in Dubai. In recent times, India has played 9 T20 matches from 2021 to 2022, winning 5 and losing 4.
The batters failed to capitalize on the surface, and the slow wicket of Dubai created problems for them. The best example was the game against Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where India lost by 10 wickets. Even in the 2022 Asia Cup, the batters’ performances came under scrutiny, as they failed to make runs, and the bowlers were unable to take wickets in quick intervals.
So, if we look at the sample size, it’s enough to say that India has had its fair share of struggles on this wicket, both with the bat and the ball. The Dubai pitch usually comes with a slightly sluggish nature, which hasn’t suited India well. Yes, India does have more wins than losses, but many of the games were close, and they did not have convincing victories.
- Sep 28, 2018: Bangladesh vs India – India won by 3 wickets
- Sep 25, 2018: Afghanistan vs India – Match tied
- Sep 23, 2018: India vs Pakistan – India won by 9 wickets
- Sep 21, 2018: Bangladesh vs India – India won by 7 wickets
- Sep 19, 2018: India vs Pakistan – India won by 8 wickets
- Sep 18, 2018: Hong Kong vs India – India won by 26 runs
India’s record in Dubai in T20Is
| Year | Matches | Wins | Losses | Ties | No Result | Win % | Loss % | Tie % | No Result % |
| 2021-2022 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 55.55 | 44.44 | 0 | 0 |
Venue ICC would have picked for India’s matches in the Champions Trophy than Dubai
Sri Lanka is possibly the best place for India to play the Champions Trophy, especially speaking about the stadium in Colombo. India has had a fair share of good outings there in recent times. Yes, they lost the ODI series they played there last, but overall, they have succeeded many times in the past few years. For instance, in the 2023 Asia Cup, where they thrashed every team, from Pakistan to Sri Lanka. The final match against Sri Lanka is still fresh in many minds, where India won the game in no time, thanks to Mohammed Siraj’s destructive spell. India did an amazing job, and surely, compared to Dubai, it could have been a better venue for India for the Champions Trophy 2025.
India’s record in Sri Lanka
| Ground | Format | Matches Played | Wins | Losses | Draws | Win Percentage |
| R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo) | ODI | 28 | 18 | 10 | – | 64.29% |
| Test | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 16.67% | |
| T20I | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | 66.67% | |
| Pallekele International Stadium (Kandy) | ODI | 9 | 5 | 4 | – | 55.56% |
| Test | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40% | |
| T20I | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | 75% | |
| Sinhalese Sports Club (Colombo) | ODI | 5 | 3 | 2 | – | 60.00% |
| Test | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 25% | |
| T20I | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 100% | |
| Hambantota International Stadium | ODI | 6 | 3 | 3 | – | 50% |
| Test | 3 | 1 | 2 | – | 33% | |
| T20I | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 50% | |
| Dambulla International Stadium | ODI | 10 | 7 | 3 | – | 70% |
| Test | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | 0.00% | |
| T20I | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 50% |
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