A scintillating century from Shubman Gill and a five-wicket haul by Mohammed Shami propelled India to a clinical six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
India’s pace attack made an immediate impact, with Shami dismantling Bangladesh’s top order in a devastating spell. Debutant Harshit Rana complemented him well, ensuring Bangladesh reeled at 35/5 inside the first 10 overs—one of the worst powerplay collapses in Champions Trophy history.
Axar Patel further dented Bangladesh’s innings with a double strike, removing Tanzid Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim off successive deliveries.
However, Towhid Hridoy produced a resilient counterattack, forging a record 152-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Jaker Ali. Hridoy’s unbeaten 100* off 118 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes) not only salvaged Bangladesh’s innings but also made him only the ninth player to score a century on his Champions Trophy debut and the second Bangladeshi after Tamim Iqbal (128 vs England, 2017) to achieve the feat.
Despite their fightback, Bangladesh were bowled out for 228 in 49.4 overs, with Shami finishing with figures of 5/53—India’s second-best in Champions Trophy history, behind Ravindra Jadeja’s 5/36 in 2013.
Chasing a modest target, India made a steady start with skipper Rohit Sharma scoring a brisk 41 off 36 balls before falling to Taskin Ahmed. Shubman Gill then took centre stage, constructing a masterful innings despite a slow start. His eighth ODI century, achieved in 125 balls, was among the slowest for India in recent years but underlined his temperament and class. Notably, Gill surpassed the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar as the fastest Indian to reach eight ODI centuries.
India faced a brief wobble with Virat Kohli (22 off 38) and Shreyas Iyer (15 off 17) falling cheaply, allowing Bangladesh a brief glimmer of hope. Rishad Hossain provided a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Kohli and Axar Patel, but the dropped catch of KL Rahul by Jaker Ali proved costly for Bangladesh.
Rahul ensured India’s victory with an unbeaten 41, finishing the chase in style with a towering six off Tanzim Hasan Sakib in the 47th over. India reached 231/4 in 46.3 overs, sealing a six-wicket triumph and making an emphatic start to their campaign.
With this dominant win, India have set the tone for their Champions Trophy campaign and will aim to carry forward their momentum in the upcoming fixtures. (UNI)
