IND vs PAK Pitch Report, Champions Trophy 2025: Dubai ground conditions; stats, records, toss factor
India will take on archrival Pakistan in its second match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The Men in Blue have a near-perfect record at this ground. In seven games it has played here, it was won six and tied one.
India has faced Pakistan twice in Dubai, during the 2018 Asia Cup, and won on both occasions. It chased down 163 in the first game to win by eight wickets, and chased 237 in the second with nine wickets in hand.
ODI STATS AT DUBAI INTERNATIONAL CRICKET STADIUM
Matches played: 59
Team batting first won: 22
Team batting second won: 35
No Result: 1
Tied: 1
Highest team total: 355/5 (50) – England vs Pakistan (2015)
Lowest team total: 124 all out (35.2) – Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh (2018)
PITCH REPORT
The pitch at the Dubai International Stadium has kept bowlers in the hunt in the recent years. In 59 matches at the venue, teams have scored 300-plus totals just four times. The last 300-plus total at this ground was scored by Pakistan in 2019.
Even in the previous game between India and Bangladesh, batters struggled in aggressing. Chasing a target of 228 runs, India could only cross the line in the 47th over. However, batting gets slightly easier in the second innings in Dubai, as indicated by the average per wicket going up from 25 to 29 from the first innings to the second.
The venue has favoured the seamers more than the spinners. In 59 games, pacers have 473 wickets at an average over 28 and an economy rate of 4.79. Menawhile, the tweakers have been more economical at 4.25 runs per over. However, they’ve claimed only 325 wickets at an average of 30.
Out of the seven five-wicket hauls at the ground, only one has gone to a spinner—Shahid Afrid’s 6/38 in 2009 against Australia.
Even in the previous game in this ICC Champions Trophy, 10 of the 14 wickets went to the pacers with Mohammed Shami claiming five wickets.
TOSS FACTOR
The toss has not played a crucial role in determining the result of the contests at this ground. Out of 59 games, teams winning the toss have won just 29 times..
However, with the win percentage tilting in favour of the teams batting second, the captain winning the toss is likely to bowl first. In the last 10 games in Dubai, teams chasing won seven times.
Further, with the chances of dew setting in, captains might prefer to use their spinners during the first innings.
SQUADS
INDIA
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy.
PAKISTAN
Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
