The Indian cricket team will play on two freshly prepared pitches in Dubai for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. These pitches have been specially reserved for the tournament, providing a break from the slow and worn-out tracks usually seen at the end of the season. The team's league matches will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand. The DICS has been a cricketing hub, hosting last year's Women's T20 World Cup, the men's U-19 Asia Cup, and 15 matches of the IL T20 league. The latter is a flagship initiative by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). Despite the busy schedule, two pitches were deliberately kept unused during the league stage to keep them ready for the upcoming Champions Trophy. A source familiar with the matter told PTI that of the 10 match strips at DICS, two were specifically reserved for the Champions Trophy. The idea is to prevent these pitches from turning slow due to overuse, which could make matches less exciting. The fresh pitches will aid the batters and bowlers in equal measure, he added. Historically, the Dubai track has been conducive for fast bowlers. But this time around, spinners who can deliver at a brisk pace could have an edge. To counter this possible change in pitch behavior, India has picked five spinners in their 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy: Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy. Jadeja and Patel are likely to start with Yadav being a possible third spinner. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium has hosted 58 ODIs as of now. The pitch here offers an even contest between bat and ball. Team India has featured in six ODIs at this venue, winning five of those. One match ended in a tie, against Afghanistan in the 2018 Asia Cup. India have beaten Bangladesh and Pakistan twice each besides winning one against Hong Kong here in ODIs.