Thu Feb 20 15:10:00 UTC 2025: ## India Cruises to Victory Over Bangladesh in Champions Trophy Opener
**Dubai, UAE:** India made a commanding start to their Champions Trophy campaign, defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in their opening match. A century by Shubman Gill (101*) and a five-wicket haul by Mohammed Shami (5/xx) spearheaded India’s triumph.
Bangladesh, electing to bat first, got off to a disastrous start, losing five wickets for just 35 runs. However, a 154-run partnership between Towhid Hridoy (100) – who scored his maiden ODI century – and Zakir Ali (68) helped them recover to a respectable 228 all out. Harsit Rana also contributed with 3 wickets for India. Rishad Hossain took two wickets for Bangladesh.
Chasing 229, India initially lost four wickets for 144 runs, before Gill and KL Rahul (41) steadied the ship with an 87-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Gill remained unbeaten on 101, guiding India to victory in 46.3 overs. He expressed his delight at scoring his first century in an ICC event, acknowledging the initial challenges posed by the slow pitch.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto attributed their loss to a poor start, highlighting the difficulty of recovering after losing five early wickets. He also mentioned fielding errors and missed run-out opportunities that contributed to their defeat.
India captain Rohit Sharma praised Gill’s innings, highlighting his ability to remain calm under pressure. He also lauded Shami’s performance and acknowledged the slow nature of the pitch. Sharma admitted to dropping a simple catch which could have resulted in a hat-trick for Axar Patel.
India’s win places them second in Group A, behind New Zealand. The match highlighted the contrasting fortunes of the two teams, with India’s strong bowling and composed batting eventually overcoming Bangladesh’s late fightback.
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