Dubai, UAE – In-form Shubman Gill delivered a match-winning performance with an unbeaten 101, steering India to a nervy six-wicket win over Bangladesh in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener in Dubai.
Chasing a tricky 229 on a difficult pitch, India rode on Gill’s second successive ODI century to seal the win with 21 balls to spare. The victory reinforced India’s status as title favorites, with all their matches in the tournament being played in Dubai International Cricket Stadium due to their refusal to tour host nation Pakistan amid ongoing political tensions.
Shami’s Five-Wicket Haul Wrecks Bangladesh
Pace spearhead Mohammed Shami set the stage for India’s win, delivering a devastating opening spell to reduce Bangladesh to 35-5 before they recovered to post 228 all out after electing to bat first. Shami finished with 5-53, claiming his sixth five-wicket haul in ODIs.
Bangladesh’s innings was rescued by Towhid Hridoy, who struck his maiden ODI century (100 off 118 balls), and Jaker Ali (68). The pair stitched together a crucial 154-run partnership for the sixth wicket after a horror start, capitalizing on sloppy Indian fielding, including two dropped catches.
India’s Chase: Gill Anchors After Early Jolts
India began their chase confidently with Rohit Sharma and Gill striking regular boundaries. Rohit became only the 10th batsman—and fourth Indian—to surpass 11,000 ODI runs before falling for 41 to Taskin Ahmed.
The crowd erupted as Virat Kohli walked in, but he took 10 balls to get off the mark and was eventually dismissed for 22, miscuing a shot off Rishad Hossain. A flurry of wickets followed as Axar Patel (12) and Shreyas Iyer (8) also departed, leaving India at 144-4.
Gill, however, remained composed, forming a match-winning 87-run unbeaten stand with *KL Rahul (41)**. Rahul was given an early reprieve when Jaker Ali dropped him at deep mid-wicket, and India never looked back. Gill reached his eighth ODI century, sealing the win in style.
Shami Steps Up in Bumrah’s Absence
With Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury, Shami stepped up as India’s bowling leader. He struck in the first over, dismissing Soumya Sarkar for a duck, before Axar Patel’s double strike left Bangladesh reeling at 28-3.
Despite India’s early dominance, missed chances allowed Bangladesh to rebuild. Rohit Sharma dropped a crucial catch at first slip, denying Axar a hat-trick, while Hardik Pandya also put down a sitter at mid-off.
Jaker and Towhid capitalized on these errors, frustrating India’s bowlers. However, Shami returned to dismiss Jaker, and Towhid’s 118-ball effort, which included six fours and two sixes, ended as Bangladesh were bowled out for 228.
Post-Match Reactions
India captain Rohit Sharma admitted his team felt the pressure at times.
“Yes, we were under a bit of pressure with the bat, but in games like this, that’s expected. Shubman showed great composure and took us over the line.”
Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto acknowledged his team’s poor start cost them the game.
“Losing five wickets inside 10 overs made it very hard to recover. We also made mistakes in the field with dropped catches and missed runouts. Those moments could have changed the game.”
What’s Next?
India’s next match is a high-voltage clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, a game expected to draw massive global viewership. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will take on New Zealand in Rawalpindi on Monday, hoping to bounce back after their opening loss.
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