That's a wrap from this fixture! India cruise to a 6-wicket win, kicking off their Champions Trophy campaign in style. Mohammed Shami's fifer and Shubman Gill's classy hundred were the match's highlights as they stole the show! Tomorrow, it is between Afghanistan and South Africa. Don't miss the action!
For now, this is Pritam Dey signing off on behalf of my co-commentators Akshay Bhide & AkshayaKrishna Polya, who, along with scorer/analyst Raju Khariya, brought all the actions of this clash. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world! BYE BYE👋
Rohit Sharma (India Captain): "Yeah, before you come and play any game, you have to be confident. Yeah, as the game goes on, there will be different emotions but you need to take it on. We have been in that situation many times before. KL & Gill were composed at the middle.
Um, very hard to say that. It was just one game. We knew that there was not enough grass on the pitch and it was going to be dry. That is exactly how the pitch played. As a team, I think we adapted to the conditions pretty well. We started off really well with the ball and also with the bat. Yes, we were under pressure for a little bit but that is where the experience comes into play.
(On Mohammed Shami) Yeah, very happy for him. Long time waiting to be honest. We all know what he brings to the table. The kind of match winner he has developed himself into. Every time we throw at ball, he delivers. Everyone has showed up for the team, whenever required.
Well, I thought you are going to ask me on my reactions of the dropped catch (laughs). I mean look, when it comes to Gill, we all know the class he has in his batting. Of late, he has been brilliant with the bat. Today what he showed out there, shouldn't surprise anyone. He showed a lot of maturity at the middle as he remained till the end, ensuring he sees off the game.
(On costing Axar a hat-trick) I may take him for a dinner tomorrow. No, that was an easy catch. I should've taken that catch. The standard that I have set for myself standing in the slips, that one was disappointing. These things happen and I do understand that. I know they were 36/5 and from there they got a big partnership. These things are bound to happen. Credit to Hridoy and Jaker Ali. They played brilliantly and with the bat I thought, we were clinical.
(On the next game) I am not too sure about how the surface will play on Sunday. But, it will be pretty much similar. I am not the curator to tell you how the pitch is going to be. We will come out here and see how the pitch is on 23rd."
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bangladesh Captain): "Yes, obviously. The way we batted in the first powerplay cost us. We lost 5 wickets in the first 10 overs. It cost us the game.
We were 25-30 runs short. I think so. Jaker and Towhid batted well, but we still made mistakes on the field. Dropped catches and a few runouts were missed, the result could have been different.
The way Hridoy and Jaker Ali batted was brilliant to see. It was impressive batting from the duo. It is brilliant to see the way they handled the spin bowling. I hope they continue it in the next two matches.
I don't think we were short on the spin department. Mahmudullah is injured. He missed this game. He can bowl some spin. Still, we could have bowled well with the new ball. If we got wickets with the new ball, it could have been different.
I don't think that the conditions in Rawalpindi are new to us. We played Pakistan there recently."
10:05 PM IST & 8:35 PM Local Time: Harsha Bhogle is ready with the Post-Match Interviews!
Shubman Gill (Player of the Match): "Yeah, definitely. One of my most satisfying hundreds. Also, my first in an ICC event.
When me and Rohit bhai came out, we knew that cutting the ball won't be easy because it wasn't coming nicely onto the bat. So, stepping out of the crease and going over the top of the circle was easier for me. When Virat and I batted, it was not easy to pick singles on the front foot off the spinners. So, we stayed deep in the crease.
At one point, there was some kind of pressure on us. The message was sent to me that I have to bat till the end.
(Favorite six tonight) The first one gave me a lot of confidence and the second one helped me get closer to my hundred. So, I enjoyed both."
Player of the Match: Shubman Gill
Slowest ODI tons for India since 2010 (by balls
faced): 138 - Sachin
Tendulkar vs Bangladesh in Mirpur, 2012 128 - Rohit
Sharma vs South Africa in Southampton, 2019 125 - Manoj
Tiwary vs West Indies in Chennai, 2011 125 - Shubman Gill vs Bangladesh in Dubai, 2025