Shubman Gill's Brilliant 101 Guides India to Victory in Champions Trophy Opener; Shami Shines with Fifer
India made a solid start to their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign with a clinical win over Bangladesh in their opening match in Dubai. The highlight of the chase was Shubman Gill’s composed 101* off 129 balls, as he played through the innings despite regular wickets falling at the other end.
Gill curbed his natural attacking instincts and anchored the chase, leading India to victory with a final total of 229. He was well-supported by KL Rahul, who played an unflustered knock of 41* off 47 balls. Together, the pair added 87 runs in an unbeaten partnership off 98 balls to finish the chase. This century marked Gill’s second consecutive ODI ton, with recent scores of 87, 60, 112, and 101* highlighting his growing consistency. Despite the sluggish pitch in Dubai, India managed to chase the target with relative ease. Earlier in the match, Rohit Sharma had provided India with a fast start, adding 69 runs with Gill for the opening partnership before falling to Taskin Ahmed for 41 off 36 balls in the 10th over. Rohit also went past the 11,000-run mark in ODIs during his innings.
On the bowling front, Mohammed Shami delivered a sensational performance, picking up a five-wicket haul in Bangladesh’s innings. Shami’s deadly spell helped India bowl out Bangladesh for 228 after they were reduced to 35/5 in the first nine overs. Towhid Hridoy, however, fought back valiantly, scoring 100 off 118 balls, and formed a record 154-run stand for the sixth wicket with Jaker Ali. Despite their valiant efforts, Bangladesh's middle-order was unable to recover fully from the early collapse, and they were eventually bowled out by India. Shami’s remarkable performance helped him become the second-fastest bowler to 200 ODI wickets.
The Bangladesh top order had been torn apart in the first nine overs, as India’s bowlers wreaked havoc. Shami took two early wickets, while Harshit Rana claimed one. Axar Patel had a chance for a hat-trick but was denied, while Rohit Sharma dropped an easy catch off Jaker’s bat that would have given Axar a hat-trick. Hardik Pandya also missed a crucial catch off Hridoy, and KL Rahul failed to stump Hridoy, letting Bangladesh off the hook in a match that could have been over much earlier.
Despite the early setbacks, Jaker and Hridoy’s record stand salvaged some pride for Bangladesh, but it wasn't enough to steer them to a total that could challenge India. Bangladesh's innings ended with Jaker falling for 68 off 114 balls, with Shami once again providing the breakthrough. India's disciplined bowling attack and Gill’s match-winning knock sealed the win, and India moved on to a strong start in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Shubman Gill's Century and Mohammed Shami's Fifer Lead India to Six-Wicket Win Over Bangladesh in ICC Champions Trophy 2025
India registered a dominant six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, thanks to Shubman Gill’s composed century and Mohammed Shami’s brilliant five-wicket haul. Bangladesh, after being asked to bat first, were restricted to 228 in 49.4 overs. India chased down the target comfortably, reaching 231/4 in 46.3 overs, with Gill anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 101 off 129 balls. This victory earned India two points, placing them second in Group A with a net run rate (NRR) of 0.408, behind New Zealand, who are at the top with an NRR of 1.200. India’s next challenge will be against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday at the same venue.
India began their chase on a strong note, with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill putting on 69 runs in 59 balls. Rohit, who played a quick knock of 41 from 36 balls, was dismissed in the 10th over, but not before crossing a major milestone – becoming only the fourth Indian to score 11,000 ODI runs, joining the ranks of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Virat Kohli. He is the 10th batter in ODI history to reach this landmark. Virat Kohli, who looked in good touch, was dismissed for 22 in the 23rd over with the score at 112/2. Bangladesh kept themselves in the game by taking the wickets of Shreyas Iyer (15) and Axar Patel (8) during the middle overs, reducing India to 144/4 in the 31st over. However, Gill (101*) and KL Rahul (41* from 47 balls) steered India to victory with a solid, unbroken 87-run partnership.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s batting collapse set the tone for India’s dominance. After electing to bat, Bangladesh were quickly reduced to 35/5 in just nine overs, thanks to Shami’s early breakthroughs. Shami dismissed Soumya Sarkar in the first over and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the seventh. Bangladesh’s top order crumbled under pressure from India’s disciplined bowling attack. Axar Patel almost claimed a hat-trick, but Rohit Sharma dropped a catch at first slip off Jaker Ali. Despite the early setbacks, Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali staged a remarkable recovery, adding 154 runs for the sixth wicket, the highest stand for Bangladesh against India in ODIs. Hridoy scored a gritty 100 off 118 balls, while Jaker contributed 68 runs, as Bangladesh posted a competitive total.
India’s spinners, Ravindra Jadeja (0/37) and Kuldeep Yadav (0/43), went wicketless, but Shami returned in the 43rd over to break the partnership, dismissing Jaker and shifting the momentum back in India’s favour. The pacer then took two more wickets, including that of Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Taskin Ahmed, to finish with 5/53 in 10 overs, becoming India’s highest wicket-taker in 50-over ICC events with 60 wickets, surpassing Zaheer Khan’s record of 59 wickets in 32 innings. Shami reached the landmark in just 19 innings, and he also became the fastest Indian to complete 200 ODI wickets, achieving the feat in 5126 balls.
Match Summary:
- Bangladesh: 228/10 in 49.4 overs (Towhid Hridoy 100, Mohammed Shami 5/53)
- India: 231/4 in 46.3 overs (Shubman Gill 101*, Rishad Hossain 2/38)
India won by six wickets.
Reference
- Chopra, A. (2019, January 25). How Mohammed Shami flipped the switch on his bowling. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/aakash-chopra-how-mohammed-shami-flipped-the-switch-on-his-bowling-1172530
- ESPN Digital Media Private Limited. (n.d.). Jaker Ali Profile - Cricket Player Bangladesh | Stats, records, video. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/jaker-ali-824541
- ESPN Digital Media Private Limited. (2022, September 14). Zaheer Khan Profile - Cricket Player India | Stats, records, video. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/zaheer-khan-30102
- ESPN Digital Media Private Limited. (2023, October 27). Taskin Ahmed Profile - Cricket Player Bangladesh | Stats, records, video. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/taskin-ahmed-538506
- ESPN Digital Media Private Limited. (2025a, February 11). KL Rahul Profile - Cricket Player India | Stats, records, video. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/kl-rahul-422108
- ESPN Digital Media Private Limited. (2025b, February 12). Harshit Rana profile - Cricket Player India | Stats, records, video. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/harshit-rana-1312645
- ESPN Digital Media Private Limited. (2025c, February 19). Rohit Sharma Profile - Cricket Player India | Stats, records, video. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/rohit-sharma-34102
- ESPN Digital Media Private Limited. (2025d, February 20). Shubman Gill Profile - Cricket Player India | Stats, records, video. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/shubman-gill-1070173
- SPN Digital Media Private Limited. (2025e, February 21). Bangladesh National Cricket Team | BAN | Bangladesh Team News and matches. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/team/bangladesh-25
- Icc. (n.d.-a). ICC Champions Trophy, 2025. Icc. https://www.icc-cricket.com/tournaments/champions-trophy-2025
- Icc. (n.d.-b). ICC Champions Trophy, 2025. Icc. https://www.icc-cricket.com/tournaments/champions-trophy-2025
- Isam, M. (2024, March 25). Bangladesh’s Test credentials in question amid another batting collapse. ESPNcricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/bangladesh-s-test-credentials-in-question-amid-another-batting-collapse-1426254
National Portal of India. (n.d.). https://www.india.gov.in/
Net Run Rate explained | ESPNcricinfo.com. (n.d.). Cricinfo. https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/page/429305.html
Profile - ICC ranking, age, career info & stats. (n.d.-a). Cricbuzz. https://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/11088/jaker-ali
Profile - ICC ranking, age, career info & stats. (n.d.-b). Cricbuzz. https://www.cricbuzz.com/profiles/587/ravindra-jadeja