As the two teams started their Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai, India defeated Bangladesh by six wickets thanks to an unbeaten 101 from in-form Shubman Gill, who led the nervy chase.
Gill’s second consecutive one-day international [ODI] century helped India reach their target with 21 balls remaining on Thursday, when they needed a difficult 229 to win on a ground that looked difficult.
Favorites for the title Due to political issues, India declined to tour the host country, Pakistan, and is therefore playing their matches in the 50-over competition at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
With figures of 5-53, pace leader Mohammed Shami helped put Bangladesh down to 35-5 in his opening spell before they rallied to manage 228 all out after choosing to bat first.
“With the bat, yes we were under pressure a bit,” India captain Rohit Sharma said. “But when you are playing a game like this, you are bound to be under pressure.”
Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, but was in trouble almost immediately.
Despite some help from careless Indian fielding, including two missed catches, Towhid Hridoy, who scored 100, his first ODI century, and Jaker Ali (68) put on 154 runs for the sixth wicket to increase the total from the troublesome start.
India’s response got off to a fast start as Rohit Sharma and Gill established their customary boundaries. Rohit became the fourth player from India and only the tenth batter to reach 11,000 ODI runs.
Virat Kohli entered the stadium to thunderous applause from the mostly empty crowd after the India captain reached 41 before being removed by quick bowler Taskin Ahmed.
After making 22 runs in 10 balls, Kohli mistimed a late cut to backward point off leg-spinner Rishad Hossain.
After Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer were dismissed by Rishad and Mustafizur Rahman to put India in difficulty at 144-4, they lost two more wickets.
However, vice captain Gill, who scored 259 runs to win player of the series in India’s 3-0 ODI sweep of England last week, remained composed as he and KL Rahul led the side home in an undefeated 87-run partnership.
After being dropped early in his innings by Jaker at deep mid-wicket, Rahul finished 41 not out, but India never failed again, with Gill scoring his ninth ODI century.
Shami was the bowling hero with his sixth five-wicket haul in 104 ODIs, stepping up in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury.
Shami struck in the first over to get left-handed Soumya Sarkar caught behind for a five-ball duck.
“In 10 overs, we lost five wickets,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto reflected. “It’s very hard to recover and so it cost us the game.”
India will next play their bitter rivals, Pakistan, in a big match on Sunday, while Bangladesh will play New Zealand, who defeated Pakistan on Wednesday to start their tournament, in Rawalpindi on Monday.
