India started their Champions Trophy campaign with a dominant six-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium.
After reducing Bangladesh to 35/5, India let them recover as Towhid Hridoy (100) and Jaker Ali (68) stitched together a 187-run partnership, pushing the total to 228. Mohammed Shami was the star with the ball, picking up 5/53 and crossing the 200 ODI wicket mark.
Chasing 229, India had a shaky start, losing three wickets for 32 runs. But Shubman Gill (101*) anchored the innings, guiding India home in 46.3 overs. Rohit Sharma contributed 41, while KL Rahul sealed the victory with a six, remaining unbeaten on 41.
While India’s overall performance was strong, their fielding was far from perfect. Several catches were dropped, including one by Rohit Sharma that denied Axar Patel a hat-trick. Post-match, the team’s fielding coach T. Dilip announced the winner of India’s fielding medal. With Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill also in contention, KL Rahul eventually bagged the honor for his sharp glovework behind the stumps.
However, Mohammed Shami wasn’t too happy about missing out. As the video of the announcement surfaced, Shami humorously protested, saying, “Catch toh mera bhi achha tha yaar!”—a nod to the tough catch he took in the match. His reaction left the dressing room in splits, adding a fun moment to India’s victory celebrations.
India now gears up for their next big clash against Pakistan on February 23, hoping to maintain their winning momentum and improve their fielding performance.
