Shubman Gill's Century Guides India to a Comfortable Win Over Bangladesh in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy

Bangladesh's 2025 ICC Champions Trophy campaign started with a six-wicket loss to India, repeating the heartbreak of their 2017 exit at the hands of the same opponents. Despite a challenging start, Bangladesh fought back with a remarkable sixth-wicket partnership, but India's chase was clinical, led by a scintillating century from Shubman Gill.

After being put to bat first, Bangladesh endured a disastrous start, losing two wickets for just two runs in the first two overs. By the time they had reached 35 runs, they had lost five wickets. Despite this early collapse, Bangladesh's middle order came to the rescue. A superb 154-run partnership between Tawhid Hridoy and Zakir Ali Anik, the highest sixth-wicket partnership for Bangladesh in One Day Internationals, helped the team recover. Hridoy's determined century anchored the innings, and Bangladesh reached a challenging total of 228 runs.

India, one of the tournament's favorites, chased down the target with ease. Despite losing Rohit Sharma early on, India quickly moved ahead, scoring 69 runs in the first 10 overs. Sharma's 41 off 36 balls, including seven boundaries, was the highlight of the early phase. Bangladesh managed to break through with the wicket of Sharma, thanks to a fine delivery from Taskin Ahmed.

Virat Kohli, who came in at number three, seemed settled, but he was soon dismissed by Rishad Hossain, caught in the slip. Kohli made 22 runs before returning to the pavilion. Shreyas Iyer also failed to make an impact, scoring just 15 runs. Axar Patel followed suit, being dismissed cheaply for 8 off 12 balls, also caught by Rishad.

Despite the early breakthroughs, Shubman Gill steadied the Indian innings. He brought up his half-century off 69 balls and continued to accelerate from there. His aggressive stroke play, including nine fours and two sixes, ensured that India remained on course for victory. Bangladesh had their chances but were let down by a missed opportunity when Zakir Ali Anik dropped a straightforward catch off Lokesh Rahul.

With Gill's century (125 off 108 balls) and Rahul's steady 35* at the other end, India reached the target of 229 with four overs to spare, comfortably winning by six wickets. Gill's match-winning knock earned him the player-of-the-match honors, and his performance reaffirmed his status as the top-ranked ODI batter in the world.

This victory gave India a perfect start to their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign, while Bangladesh's disappointing performance means they have much to work on as the tournament progresses.