Shubman Gill’s brilliant century and Mohammed Shami's exceptional five-wicket haul guided India to a comfortable six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Gill was named Player of the Match for amassing an unbeaten 101 off 129 deliveries as India chased the modest target of 229 with 21 balls to spare, losing four wickets in the process.
India got off to a solid start with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill putting together a 69-run partnership. Sharma, however, was dismissed just before the end of the batting powerplay for 41 runs off 36 balls, including seven boundaries. Gill then formed a 43-run stand with Virat Kohli, who contributed 22 runs off 38 balls.
India’s chase faltered briefly when they lost two quick wickets, leaving them at 144/4 in 30.1 overs. However, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul joined Gill, and the two formed an unbeaten 87-run partnership to steer India to victory.
Gill top-scored for India with 101 runs off 129 balls, hitting nine fours and two sixes, while Rahul supported with 41 runs from 47 balls.
For Bangladesh, Rishad Hossain was the pick of the bowlers, taking two wickets, while Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, Bangladesh, who won the toss and opted to bat, found themselves in trouble as Indian bowlers tore through their top order. Bangladesh were reduced to 35/5 in just 8.3 overs.
Jaker Ali and Towhid Hridoy then steadied the ship, with both batsmen playing carefully and counterattacking with regular boundaries.
The duo built a vital 154-run partnership, but Mohammed Shami ended the threatening stand by dismissing Jaker in the 43rd over. Jaker made 68 runs off 114 balls, including four boundaries.
Following Jaker’s dismissal, Bangladesh's lower order briefly collapsed, but Hridoy continued to fight. Despite battling cramps, Hridoy remained unbeaten, scoring a valiant century and finishing as the top scorer for Bangladesh with 100 runs off 118 balls, including six fours and two sixes.
Shami was the standout bowler for India, taking 5 wickets for 53 runs in his 10 overs. Harshit Rana was also impressive with three wickets, while Axar Patel claimed two wickets.
India's victory keeps them on track in the tournament, while Bangladesh will need to regroup for their next match.
Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
Bangladesh: 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
The tournament features eight teams divided into two groups. Group A includes Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and New Zealand, while Group B comprises Afghanistan, Australia, England, and South Africa.
The group stage will see matches played across the four venues: Dubai, Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. The first semi-final will be held on 4 March in Dubai, with the second semi-final scheduled for 5 March at Gaddafi Stadium. If India does not qualify for the final, it will be held in Lahore; otherwise, the final will take place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
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