After India began their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh, skipper Rohit Sharma said it was good to see vice-captain Shubman Gill, who hit an unbeaten 101, stay till the end in the chase of 229 at the Dubai International Stadium. Gill took his time before grinding it hard on a sluggish pitch and amidst the pressure of wickets falling around to hit an unbeaten 101 off 129 balls, laced with nine fours and two sixes.
Though Gill hit his slowest ODI hundred, it was worth its weight in gold for India to go into the clash against Pakistan at the same venue on Sunday with more confidence, after being tested thoroughly by Bangladesh’s bowlers.
Gill got good support from Rohit, who made a quick 41, and later from K.L. Rahul, who fought through a tricky period to hit a very calm and composed 41 off 47 balls, thus showing why he’s preferred ahead of Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper-batter slot, as India finished off the chase with 21 balls to spare.
“Before you come and play any game, you have to be confident. In the chase, as it goes on, there are different emotions that come through. But you have to be ready. We have been in that situation before. There’s a lot of experience in the dressing room to stay composed.”
“KL and Gill at the end were very composed. Gill, we know the class he has. He’s been batting brilliantly of late and today what he showed us, it shouldn’t surprise anyone. What was good to see was he was there till the end,” said Rohit after the match ended.
He also expressed happiness over Mohammed Shami marking his return to ICC events with 5-53 and becoming the fastest Indian bowler to reach 200 wickets. “Very happy for Shami. Long time waiting. We know what he brings for us. The quality he has. Every time we throw the ball at him he’s got something up his sleeve and we need guys like him to step up in big moments.”
Rohit further felt the Indian team adapted well to the conditions on offer and felt it would be the same for Sunday’s game against Pakistan. “One game, very hard to make anything out of the track. Not much grass on it, we knew it would be on the slower side, and that is how it played.”
“As a team, I thought we adapted to the conditions really well, with the bowling and bat as well. Not sure about the pitch, but it will be pretty similar to today. I’m not the curator to tell you how it will be. There has been a lot of games that have happened here and we’ll come out here on the 23rd and see how it looks.”
In the match, Rohit also spilt the catch of Jaker Ali at first slip, denying Axar Patel a hat-trick. He admitted that it was an easy chance which he should have grabbed anytime. “I may take him for a dinner tomorrow. That was an easy catch, I should have taken that catch, the standards I have set standing in the slips but these things happen. Credit to Hridoy and Jaker for stitching that big partnership.”
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto admitted that losing five wickets in the first powerplay wasn’t ideal while appreciating Towhid Hridoy’s century and Jaker Ali’s 68. “I think the first powerplay, the way we batted, the game cost us at that point. Very hard for the lower order to recover. The way Hridoy and Jaker batted was brilliant.”
He also rued the fielding chances Bangladesh missed which could have helped them make further inroads into the Indian batting line-up. “We made a couple of mistakes on the field, a couple of dropped catches, a runout. If we had taken those chances, the result could have been different.”
“On this kind of wicket, with the spinners bowling, the ball spinning, Hridoy and Jaker batted brilliantly. I don’t think we were a spin bowler short. Mahmudullah got injured. We didn’t bowl badly, our quicks. If we had taken an early wicket, the result could have been different.”
