Towhid Hridoy’s Brilliant Century Amidst Collapse, but Shubman Gill’s Unbeaten Ton Seals India’s Victory in Champions Trophy Opener
Taskin Ahmed dropped to his knees, covering his face in frustration. The camera then shifted to Rohit Sharma, who was laughing with relief, hands on his head. Perhaps he was saying, “That was a close one!” At the commentary box, Ravi Shastri asked, “Was that Bangladesh’s last chance?” The answer soon became clear. Zakir Ali dropped a simple catch off Taskin’s bowling, giving KL Rahul a lifeline. Bangladesh never recovered after that.
The match began as a nightmare for Bangladesh, but then came a dream partnership—an innings of resilience. They put up a fighting total, and the bowlers made a strong effort. But after that dropped catch, all hopes of a comeback faded. India comfortably secured a six-wicket victory.
It may seem like an easy win on paper, but India had to navigate through some tense moments.
During that difficult phase, Shubman Gill stepped up, embracing the pressure and carrying India home. He batted with composure, adapted to the conditions, and remained unbeaten on 101, ensuring India’s victory. The day after he became the No. 1 ODI batsman, he played like a true match-winner.
Towhid Hridoy’s century was just as remarkable, if not more. His task was far more difficult—Bangladesh were reeling at 35 for 5, yet he rescued them with an outstanding knock. His maiden international hundred was a masterclass in controlled aggression and maturity.
Hridoy and Zakir Ali stitched together a record 154-run partnership, the highest for Bangladesh in the sixth wicket and against India in any wicket. That stand helped Bangladesh post a fighting total of 228.
Returning from injury, Mohammed Shami reminded everyone why he is a force in ICC tournaments, claiming five wickets.
India started strong in the chase, but Bangladesh fought back. However, Gill was unstoppable.
Had that catch been taken, India might have been in real trouble. At that moment, Rahul was on just 9 runs. He went on to remain unbeaten on 41, adding 87 runs with Gill to finish the chase.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, Bangladesh had a disastrous start. Before they could settle, the scoreboard read 2 for 2.
Soumya Sarkar edged Shami to slip in the very first over. In the next over, Harshit Rana got Najmul Hossain Shanto to chase a wide delivery, resulting in another wicket. Neither batter opened their account.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored some runs, but just 5.
On the other end, Tanzid Hasan looked determined, playing his natural game. But Axar Patel ended his innings in his very first over. Tanzid (25 off 25) was trapped lbw, and just when Bangladesh needed stability, Mushfiqur Rahim fell first ball.
From 35 for 5, it could have been worse—35 for 6. Axar almost had a hat-trick, but Rohit Sharma dropped an easy slip catch off Zakir Ali. The Indian skipper slammed the ground in frustration and apologized to the bowler.
Later, two more Indian players joined Rohit in the list of missed opportunities. Hardik Pandya dropped Hridoy on 23, and KL Rahul missed a stumping chance when Zakir was on 24.
Taking full advantage, Hridoy and Zakir built a match-saving partnership, focusing on rotation rather than boundaries. The run rate hovered around 3.5, but they remained patient. Indian spinners found no success in the middle overs.
Zakir reached his fifty first, taking 87 balls, followed by Hridoy, who took 85.
The best shot of the innings came immediately after Hridoy’s fifty—a majestic extra-cover six off Kuldeep Yadav. Soon, he slog-swept Ravindra Jadeja into the stands.
For the first time since 2023, India failed to take a wicket in the middle overs (11-40).
Finally, in the 43rd over, Shami dismissed Zakir (68 off 114), reaching his 200th ODI wicket. He became the fastest in terms of balls bowled and the second-fastest in terms of matches played (behind Mitchell Starc).
Rishad Hossain smashed two sixes in his 18-run cameo, but the tailenders failed to contribute.
Hridoy, pushing for a quick hundred, suffered severe cramps. Barely able to run, he still smashed a four off Shami while lying on the ground in pain. He reached his century in 114 balls, taking just 29 deliveries to go from fifty to a hundred.
However, by the end, he could hardly move, preventing Bangladesh from adding crucial late runs.
In the last five overs, they managed only 16 runs. Shami finished with a five-wicket haul as Hridoy fell in the final over.
To defend this total, Bangladesh needed early wickets, but Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a flying start. In the first 10 overs, they smashed a dozen boundaries, putting 69 runs on the board.
Rohit, playing aggressively, gifted his wicket to Taskin in the 10th over after scoring 41 off 36 balls. However, before getting out, he reached the milestone of 11,000 ODI runs.
Once that partnership was broken, it became evident that the pitch wasn’t as easy for batting as it initially seemed. As time passed, the surface slowed down, making run-scoring difficult. Even someone like Virat Kohli struggled to find his rhythm. Recognizing the situation, Gill adjusted his approach and focused on playing a long innings.
Kohli took 10 balls to get off the mark and never looked comfortable against Rishad and Miraz. Eventually, he departed after a sluggish 22 off 38 balls. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel couldn’t provide much support either, but KL Rahul held one end while Gill anchored the chase.
Perhaps an additional spinner could have made things trickier for India. Since there was no pressure of a steep required run rate, Gill and Rahul methodically guided their team toward the target. Bangladesh’s sloppy fielding only made things easier for them—missed catches and wasted run-out opportunities meant India was never truly tested.
Gill, in sublime form, brought up his second consecutive ODI century and finished the match in style with a towering six. With just 51 ODIs under his belt, he already has eight centuries to his name.
Bangladesh entered the tournament with championship ambitions, but their opening match served a harsh reality check.
Match Summary:
- Bangladesh: 49.4 overs, 228 all out (Tanzid 25, Soumya 0, Shanto 0, Miraz 5, Hridoy 100, Mushfiq 0, Zakir 68, Rishad 18, Tanzim 0, Taskin 3, Mustafizur 0*; Shami 5/53, Harshit 3/31, Axar 2/43).
- India: 46.3 overs, 231/4 (Rohit 41, Gill 101*, Kohli 22, Shreyas 15, Axar 8, Rahul 41*; Taskin 1/36, Mustafizur 1/62, Tanzim 0/58, Miraz 0/37, Rishad 2/38).
Result: India won by 6 wickets.
Player of the Match: Shubman Gill.
