India, the finalists of the 2023 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and winners of last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will look to make an impact in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy from the word go by getting one over Bangladesh in their tournament opener. The side are no strangers to success in the global event, having previously secured CT title wins in 2002 (co-winners with Sri Lanka) and 2013, as per a press release from ICC.

But this time around, Rohit Sharma’s side will be without their finest bowling asset and the ‘National Treasure’ as dubbed by batter Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and have banked on a spin-heavy setup to get the job done for them in the tournament.

Their opponents first up are also good exponents of spin and have the capacity to dish out a surprise in big events. The Tigers will take inspiration from their 2007 50-over World Cup heroics against India and will back their experienced players to come good on Thursday.

*Recent form:

India: The tournament fancies enter the Champions Trophy in fine touch, after a wildly successful recent white-ball run against England. Hosts India clean-swept the visitors 3-0 in the ODI series that recently ended.

Before that, India handled England comfortably in the pair’s five-game T20I series, winning 4-1. Those seven wins, all in the last month, should give the squad confidence.

Bangladesh: Reading the form is not as straightforward with the Tigers. The national side had not played any cricket since December, when they toured the West Indies.

Bangladesh were comprehensively beaten in the three-match ODI series with the Windies, losing 3-0. They saved face somewhat by claiming all three T20Is in the Caribbean that followed the One-Day International cricket. In November, before they toured the West Indies, Bangladesh went down 2-1 to Afghanistan in an ODI series in the UAE.

Players in focus:

India: Arshdeep Singh

With Jasprit Bumrah unavailable for India, there will be an added spotlight on the team’s bowling attack. But heading into the tournament, there is optimism that 26-year-old left-armer Arshdeep Singh can handle new ball duties and potentially step into the incredibly large shoes left by Jasprit, who is recovering from a back injury. In nine ODIs of his career, he has taken 14 wickets at an average of 23.00.

Bangladesh: Mehidy Hasan Miraz

The 27-year-old all-rounder is at the peak of his powers and will need to deliver in all departments for the Tigers to make a dent at the Champions Trophy. From the aforementioned West Indies tour in December, Mehidy Hasan Miraz smoked 152 runs across three ODIs with an average of 50.66, striking at 84.91. He also claimed eight combined wickets across the T20I series in the Caribbean.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.

With the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy now underway, tournament favourites India will begin their Group A campaign against Bangladesh under overcast skies at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. With just two teams each from both groups set to enter the semi-finals, every group stage game is critical for the Rohit Sharma-led side to win and strengthen their chances of winning the title they last held in 2013. India come on the back of good momentum they got in all aspects of the game while registering a 3-0 ODI series win over England at home. Bangladesh, on the other hand, come as an unfancied side, but have the arsenal in fast bowlers Nahid Rana and Taskin Ahmed to trouble the Indian batters.

More than the two teams, the pitch in Dubai will be of big interest for fans all over the world. The stadium has hosted a big chunk of cricket games, starting from last year’s Women’s T20 World Cup to Men’s U19 Asia Cup and the ILT20, which means the pitches could be slow in nature.

But if ground reports from UAE are to be believed, there are two fresh pitches in Dubai which could be used, meaning that it could offer assistance to pacers early on, before aiding spinners in the middle overs. If that happens, then India’s combination is set for a stern test, especially with them picking five spinners and four fast-bowling options, including Hardik Pandya.

Nevertheless, if India gets going in winning ways against Bangladesh, then it augurs really well for its upcoming clashes against Pakistan and New Zealand. Dubai hasn’t given India the best of memories in ICC events, but it could all change for the better for Rohit & Co from Thursday.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy.

Bangladesh: Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.

On-field umpires: Adrian Holdstock and Paul Reiffel

TV umpire: Richard Illingworth

Fourth umpire: Michael Gough

Match Referee: David Boon

Time: The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30pm IST.

Where to watch: All Champions Tropphy 2025 matches will be broadcasted on Star Sports Network and livestreamed on JioHotstar.