Skipper Rohit Sharma showered praise on his deputy Shubman Gill and veteran pacer Mohammed Shami for coming with game-changing performances against Bangladesh in India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday. Gill made an unbeaten hundred and Shami walked away with a five-wicket haul as India registered a six-wicket win over Bangladesh at the DICS. “We’ve been in that situation many times before and like I said many times (in the past), there’s a lot of experience in that dressing room to handle that composure where it’s needed and KL (Rahul) and (Shubman) Gill at the end were quite composed,” Rohit said during the post-match presentation.

Rohit heaped praise on player of the match Gill.

“Gill, we know the class that he has, he’s been batting brilliantly of late and today what he showed us with the bat shouldn’t surprise anyone,” he said.

“What was good to see that he was there till the end to make sure that he sees off the game,” Rohit added.

Rohit also lauded Shami for his five-for that helped the pacer to complete 200 wickets in ODIs.

“Yeah, very happy for him. (It has been a) long time waiting, we obviously know what he brings to us,” Rohit said.

“The quality that he has, the kind of match winner he is developing himself into for us, every time we throw the ball at him he’s got something up his sleeves, which is always nice and we need guys like these to stand up in big moments,” he added.

Rohit said India expect the pitch here at the Dubai International Stadium to remain slow for their next Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan on February 23.

“Very hard to say that,” Rohit replied when asked if his side thought the pitch behaved as per their expectations.

“It’s just one game, very hard to make anything out of the track, but we knew there’s not enough grass on the pitch and it is going to be on the slower side and that is exactly how the pitch played,” he said.

“But again, you play (according to) the conditions. You try and think about what you want to do as a team and I thought we adapted to the conditions really well, to start with our bowling.” India were off to a brisk start but were forced to change their approach midway through the innings and Rohit admitted his side was “under pressure” chasing 229.

“With the bat as well, yes, we were under pressure a little bit. But when you’re playing a game like this, (in the) Champions Trophy (against a) quality team, you’re bound to be under pressure and that is where the experience comes into play,” he said.

The Mumbaikar said he was not happy with the dropped catch of Jaker Ali (68) which denied Axar Patel a hat-trick.

“May take him for dinner tomorrow,” he quipped.

“It was an easy catch. I should have taken that catch, the standard that I have set for myself, standing in the first slip, that was a little disappointing, but these things happen,” Rohit added.

“But again, the way these guys bowled that set the game for us to be honest, I know they were 36 for five and then they got a big partnership.” “These things are bound to happen, there will be partnerships, credit to (Towhid) Hridoy and Jaker Ali, they played brilliantly to stitch that big partnership,” he said.

Gill termed his 101 not out as “one of the most satisfying innings” for himself “Definitely (it was) one of my most satisfying innings that I’ve played and my first century in an ICC event so very satisfying and very happy with the way I performed,” he said.

“When myself and Rohit bhai went out there, cutting the ball wasn’t that easy because the balls outside the off (stump) weren’t coming onto the bat. So I thought of using my feet to even the fast bowlers when I’m trying to go over the circle,” he said.

“When the when the spinners came on me and Virat bhai were talking about in the middle that it’s not easy to score signals off the front foot,” he added.

Gill said he was asked to finish off the match. “At one point there was a bit of pressure on us and the message was sent from outside (that) I have to try to be at the end and that’s what I tried to do,” he said.

India captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday became the second fastest batter after compatriot Virat Kohli to complete 11,000 runs in One-day Internationals during their Champions Trophy clash against Bangladesh. Rohit is only the fourth Indian and 10th batter overall to reach the mark in the 50-over format. The skipper achieved the feat in the fourth over of India’s chase of 229 in their Group A match when he hit Mustafizur Rahman over mid-on for a boundary.

The seasoned opener reached the mark in his 270th game, and is the second fastest behind Kohli to cross 11,000 runs in terms of innings.

Kohli had crossed the 11,000-run mark in 222 innings while Rohit has brought up that many runs in 261 innings. In this list, they are followed by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (276 innings), Ricky Ponting (286) and Sourav Ganguly (288).

Rohit is now placed behind former India captain Ganguly (11,363 runs) in the list of overall highest run-scorers in ODI cricket, with Tendulkar cemented firmly at the top position with 18,246 runs in 463 matches.

Kohli, who has 13,963 runs in his 299 ODIs, entered this game only 37 short of becoming only the third player in the history to make 14,000 runs in 50-overs cricket.

In terms of most ODI runs, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is placed second with 14,234 runs in 404 matches.

One of the most successful batters in the format at the top of the order, Rohit is also second in the list of hitting most sixes with 338 hits over the fence behind Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi (351).

Rohit averages nearly 50 in the format with 32 centuries and 52 half-centuries.

In the list of highest run-scorers, Rohit is followed by former captains Rahul Dravid (10,889 runs) and MS Dhoni (10,773), with India having as many as six batters in an overall list of 15 batters to have crossed the coveted 10,000-run mark in ODI cricket.

Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma reacts after denying Axar Patel a hat-trick.© X/Twitter

The Indian cricket team bowlers came out all guns blazing in its first match of the Champions Trophy 2025 as Mohammed Shami and Co. reduced Najmul Hasan Shanto’s team to 5-down inside nine overs. The Bangladesh batting line-up fell like a pack of cards as Mohammed Shami struck in the first over itself, followed by Harshit Rana‘s wicket in the third over. Shami then took the wicket of Mehidy Hasan Miraz before the real magic happen in the ninth over by Axar Patel. 

The left-arm spinner first took the wicket of Tanzid Hasan in the second ball of the ninth over as he was caught behind. On the next ball, Mushfiqur Rahim as he was caught behind too. Axar was on a hat-trick as the tension built up. The spin allrounder almost got the wicket as Jaker Ali got a thick edge as the fall flew towards Rohit Sharma at first slip. But The Indian cricket team captain dropped the catch and was absolutely livid with himself. He was seen thumping the ground in frustration.

If you want to abuse rohit sharma here is the video :pic.twitter.com/FC7yPqHDcD

— Rathore (@exBCCI_) February 20, 2025

Rohit then apologised with folded hands after his dropped catch.

Axar patel ko dekhte hi Rohit Sharma #IndvsBan pic.twitter.com/w6z3AXCul0

— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) February 20, 2025

Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to bat first in their opening game of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against India at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday.

Bangladesh and India are placed in Group A along with Pakistan and New Zealand in their group. After this fixture, both teams will face Pakistan and New Zealand in their next two matches in the ongoing marquee event.

“We would like to bat first. Looks a good wicket so we want to put runs on the board. We have play good cricket today and the boys are confident. Three spinners, two spinners for us,” Shanto said after winning the toss.

Men in Blue skipper Rohit Sharma confirmed the playing XI at the toss and said that Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja are playing in place of Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy in their line-up.

“I would have fielded first. We have played a few years back here so we felt ball comes on better under lights. All looking good. Everyone is fit and fine to go. Let’s hope we start well. There is no looking back, every game becomes very important in this tournament. Only Varun misses out from the last ODI we played, Jadeja comes back and Arshdeep misses and Shami comes back,” Rohit Sharma said.

Teams:

Bangladesh (Playing XI): Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.

With ANI inputs

File image of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill.© BCCI

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.

Chakravarthy was a last-minute addition to the India squad for Champions Trophy with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal making way for the mystery spinner. Chakravarthy has got the opportunity following a stellar season in the T20 format. When asked about the spinner’s inclusion, Rohit said Chakravarthy was picked for a reason. “He doesn’t throw many variations in the net. He throws the ball in the same way. Maybe he doesn’t even want to show us what he has (laughs). But that is a good thing. He has got a certain weapon that he wants to put out there when it actually matters.

“I am more than happy if he wants to do that. But he has got something different which is why he is here with us. Whatever we have seen of him in the last 8-9 months, it has been very impressive.”

‘If Shami, Kuldeep are in form, team looks very good’

Both Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav have not played a lot of international cricket due to injuries. They are back in the side but are yet to hit their strides. In Bumrah’s absence, expectations have increased from Shami, who was the best bowler for India in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

“They both are fine when it comes to bowling fitness. Shami has played only two ODIs and obviously a couple of T20s as well.All we wanted with Shami was to get back wearing the Indian colours more than anything else.

“Whether he gets wickets or not, that was completely immaterial for us at that point. We wanted him to get back to playing for India and he has done that.

“Whatever I have seen of him so far, he looks absolutely fine. When you talk about a bowler like Shami who has done the job over the years so many times for us, for them it is just about getting back to their rhythm and hopefully we can find some rhythm early on in this tournament and help the team.” On Kuldeep, the skipper added: “Kuldeep, again very similar, was injured, had a hernia operation just after the New Zealand series and was out of action for two and a half months.

“For him also it was important to get back playing and get back into that rhythm. The two games that he played, the numbers will not show and with certain players you don’t have to look at numbers so much and in detail.

“For certain players it is just about getting back to playing.If these two guys are in form, the team looks very good.”

Ahead of India opening their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium, skipper Rohit Sharma revealed that wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy doesn’t bowl his full kitty of variations to batters in the nets. Chakaravarthy debuted in ODIs against England at Cuttack, where he took 1-54. But he possesses of an impressive List A record, which reads as 60 wickets from 24 matches at a spectacular average of 14.8. All of this was enough for Chakaravarthy, the joint second-highest wicket-taker with 18 scalps in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, to be included at the last minute in the Champions Trophy squad at the expense of Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“He doesn’t bowl too many variations to us in the nets, as he bowls in just the same one way. Maybe, he doesn’t want to show his variations even to us. But that is a good thing. He has got certain weapons which he wants to just put it out there, when it actually matters. I am more than happy if he wants to do that.”

“But he has got something different which is why he is here with us. Whatever I have seen of him in the past 8-9 months, has been extremely impressive. That is why we wanted to bring him here and see what he has and what he can do for India on this big stage. So, let’s see now what happens. It’s just about now executing that on the field,” said Rohit in the pre-match press conference.

In terms of India’s fast-bowling line-up, a lot will depend on how Mohammed Shami shapes up to lead the attack in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, especially with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana still learning the ropes of operating in the 50-over format.

Rohit stated the focus of Indian team was to get Shami, who picked just one wicket in two ODIs against England, back on the field at any cost. “Shami has played only two (ODI) games and a couple of T20Is. All we wanted with Shami was to get him back wearing the Indian colours more than anything else.”

“Whether he gets wickets or not, that was completely immaterial for us at that point. We wanted him to return to playing for India, and he has done that. Whatever I have seen of him so far looks perfectly fine. When you talk about a bowler like Shami, who has done the job for us over the years, it is just about getting back to rhythm.”

Rohit signed off by backing left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who also made a comeback during the ODI series against England after a hernia surgery to come good in the Champions Trophy, a trophy India are aiming to win after 2013.

“For him also it was important to get back playing and get back into that rhythm. The two games that he played, again, the numbers will not show. With certain players, you don’t have to look at numbers so much in detail.

“It is just about getting back to playing; the numbers will come, which is what our faith is in as captain and coach. Whatever prep he has had coming here, he looks good and confident in what he wants to do. If these two guys are in form, the team looks very good,” he signed off.

India captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday defended picking five spinners in the Champions Trophy squad, saying three of them are all-rounders who add a lot of value to his team. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the two specialists spinners while the other options in that department are Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who all are very capable batters. The spin-heavy side has three fast-bowling options in the form of Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana with Hardik Pandya being the sole pace all-rounder.

The inclusion of five spinners in India’s Champions Trophy squad has attracted plenty of attention but captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday defended the selectors’ call, saying three of them are all-rounders who add a lot of value to his team.

Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the two specialists spinners while the other options in that department are Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who all are very capable batters.

The spin-heavy side has three fast-bowling options in the form of Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana with Hardik Pandya being the sole pace all-rounder.

“There are two spinners, and the other three are all-rounders, so I am not looking at them as five spinners, those three guys can bat and can bowl also.

“In the rest of the teams, the fast bowlers are all-rounders, so they say that they have taken six fast bowlers, which is good, but we play to our strength (spin),” Rohit told reporters when asked about the spin heavy composition of the side.

The injured Jasprit Bumrah’s absence has put additional responsibility on Mohammed Shami, who is yet to regain his full rhythm following a comeback from injury.

India prefer to bat deep and that explains the presence of three spin all-rounders in the side.

“Jadeja, Axar, Washy, give us a different dimension to our squad and add a lot to this team and give us a lot of depth, that is why we wanted to try and get the players who can have two skills rather than one skill.” Dubai has seen rain in the last couple of days and India might have to deal with overcast conditions in their tournament opener against Bangladesh on Thursday.

Be it batting or bowling, Rohit said his team is ready to tackle the prevailing conditions and batting deep will only help them. Dew is also a factor at the Dubai International Stadium.

“We have the arsenal to combat that, if there are conditions which is helping the bowlers, with the overhead conditions, the bowlers are there to exploit that and the batters, if we bat in those overhead conditions, they exactly know what to do.

“So, I think it’s about all 7-8 batters chipping in whether you get big score or not but all 7-8 batters need to contribute.

“I have seen it in the recent past where even without scoring a 100, the teams have managed to get par score or above par score in ODI format because everybody wants to chip in and everybody has chipped in. That will be our focus.”