Dubai (Web Desk): India defeated Bangladesh by 6 wickets in the second match of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Champions Trophy 2025 at Dubai International Cricket stadium on Thursday.
India cruised to a comfortable win over Bangladesh with Shubman Gill anchoring the chase with an unbroken 101.
Despite the challenging target of 229 on a pitch that proved difficult for batting, Gill’s second successive century in the tournament helped his side reach the target with 21 balls to spare.
India’s bowlers, led by Mohammed Shami, played a pivotal role in setting up the victory. Shami’s fiery spell reduced Bangladesh to a disastrous 35-5, with his figures of 5-53 marking his sixth five-wicket haul in ODIs.
Bangladesh, who had opted to bat first, found themselves in early trouble. However, Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali combined for a resilient 154-run partnership for the sixth wicket, lifting Bangladesh to 228 all out.
While Hridoy impressed with a debut century, Ali’s 68 provided further support, though India benefited from a few fielding lapses that allowed both batters to survive a couple of chances.
India’s chase began solidly with Rohit Sharma and Gill finding their rhythm early. Rohit reached a milestone of 11,000 ODI runs but fell for 41. Virat Kohli, who received a rousing reception, couldn’t quite get going, scoring just 22 before being dismissed.
Despite a few setbacks, including the dismissals of Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer, Gill stood firm. He found a steady partner in KL Rahul, and together, they put on an unbroken 87-run partnership to see India home.
Rahul, who remained not out on 41, benefited from a dropped chance when he was still at 0, but after that, India never looked back.
Gill’s brilliant knock marked his eighth ODI century, proving his consistency and composure under pressure. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Shami’s leadership with the ball was key to India’s dominant performance.
India will face their arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling encounter this Sunday.
Teams
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
