India vs Bangladesh, Champions Trophy 2025 Highlights: Shubman Gill scores century to power IND to 6-wicket win

Losing five wickets in the powerplay cost us the game. I think so. Hridoy and Jaker batted brilliantly but we still made mistakes on the field. Dropped catches and a few runouts missed, the result could have been different. Impressive batting from Hridoy against their spinners. I hope they will continue doing the same. I don't think so. If we got wickets with the new ball it could have been different.

Definitely one of my most satisfying innings I have played. When me and Rohit bhai went out there we decided not cutting the ball so I started using my feet to the fast bowlers as well. When Virat bhai came we were talking about front foot shots being difficult so we planned to play more off the back foot. The first one gave me a lot of confidence and the second one helped me get closer to my hundred so both are satisfying.

KL Rahul pulls one into the stands and finishes the game in style. India won their first game with six wickets it did not seem as easy as it seemed in the first innings. Shubman Gill did play a splendid innings and steered the side through. Meanwhile Bangladesh spinners did bowl well but they just did not have another one to add more pressure on the Indians and KL Rahul's dropped chance during the crucial stage did not help their cause either. India starts with a win in another ICC tournament but unlike some of their previous campaigns,, it has been not as comfortable as they usually get things done with. Do stay with us we will be right back with the presentation. 

Now this is unfolding quickly. The fruits of the patience Shubman Gill displayed in the middle overs is what he is enoying now. It has been a superb innings. Both KL Rahul and Gill have played quite sensibly though there was a brain fade moment from Rahul which he flicked one straight to Jaker Ali after that it has been mostly percentage cricket. As per Bangladesh, they have defended this total well but they just lacked another spinning option in the second innings. As per their batting effort after being at 39/5 to the point they have reached it is hard to complain about. As we update Shubman Gill gets to his 100.

Shubman Gill has played a masterful innings here. Time and again he has shown his versatility to play in different conditions. He scored a sublime run-a-ball 100 against England not long ago in Ahmedabad and today he is set to score another one in Dubai but of a different tempo which is suited for the demands in these conditions. It just seems like he has the understanding of how to bat in different conditions and adjust his tempo accordingly. While Yashasvi Jaiswal is the next big player in red-ball cricket it is hard to look past someone like Shubman in white-ball cricket and given the maturity he has shown in this format he just might take the reigns once Rohit calls it a day. Of course, he already is the vice-captain of the side. 

This partnership is doing exactly what was expected of it but Bangladesh did have their moment and they would be kicking themselves about the dropped chance. However, the biggest learning for India today would be how the wicket has played. The conditions just seem to have been a lot easier when batting first and the chasing side have to make the most of their powerplay. If they do fall behind in powerplay there is just no way the can catch up. We are almost 8 local time and there is still not much dew which could alter the pitch condition or ball. If the team batting first get to 280-300 that would be more than competent total to defend in the second innings here. 

KL Rahul flicked one through the square leg and Jaker Ali had a simple opportunity which he spilled. It just might be the moment India will get away here. If that chance had been taken it would have put further pressure on Gill however, it is a definite letdown. As per KL Rahul, it was a poor choice of shot given the situation of the game. There is absolutely no necessary for extra risk. The run rate is under control all this chase requires at this stage is ones and twos. The odd loose balls will come as Shubman Gill has shown the following ball after Rahul was dropped when Taskin drifted one down the leg-side where Gill feathered it for a boundary. 

Though it seems like India is ahead in this game still anything can happen. The score is just stuck at the moment in this game and boundaries have been very difficult to come by. What India needs to do is bat patiently and take small chunks of the score away. The moment they will over attack there is a high chance that they will lose one more wicket. There is still batting to come from the Indian perspective but the surface is not easy to start on. There are still no signs of dew yet and Bangladesh spinners have been just too good. The only vulnerability it seems like at this point in Bangladesh attack is Tanzid. He seems to be one bowler India might just look and attack. 

Bangladesh skipper Shanto is bringing the seamers back into attack at the moment. They will be looking to bowl pace off on this one. However, Shanto could have bowled Rishad out here and tried and push for another wicket. It just might be the lack of other spinning options that Shanto is worried about at this point. India did have the luxury to bowl 30 overs of spin earlier in the noon and it must be said these overs from Bangladesh have been far more threatening than what India could manage in the first innings. It's about percentages for both sides. For Bangladesh which bowler to use when and how long can they delay spinners and for India, it is all about which bowler to target when. 

Rishad Hossain has picked up Axar Patel here. It was a tossed-up ball and Axar trying to whack one through mid-wicket got the top edge and Rishad took the catch of his own bowling. India has lost four wickets now. This is getting quite tricky for India and feels like Deja Vu now from the 2023 Asia Cup game we mentioned earlier. India doesn't need a quickfire innings all they need is some common sense and a conventional approach which is what KL Rahul can bring in. But can he produce the innings today is something to be seen? Shubman Gill too has to bat well here every wicket that falls from one end it will put further pressure on him to bat deep. 

Mustafizur delivers his vintage slower ball which sticks in the wickets and Shreyas Iyer slogs one and gets caught at mid-on. The surface is just getting slower and slower and India is finding it hard to get these runs. Axar Patel has walked into the middle. He is the first left-hander in this batting order and we might just see another bowling change from Shanto he might bring back Mehidy into the attack who has still four overs left. Usually, Bangladesh does have batters who can bowl a bit of off-spin but it this attack it seems like apart from Najmul Hossain Shanto himself there are no other options. 

Shubman Gill has got to his half-century here. He has been in stunning form in ODI cricket. He absolutely pummeled the England bowlers during the ODI series and now he is carrying it through the Champions Trophy. Today India doesn't need a flamboyant Gill but more a Gill who stays till the end and takes India across the line. Anchor is not much of an appreciated term in modern white-ball cricket but that is what the current situation demands from him. And in the past, he has shown many times he has the technique and temperament to play in conditions like this where the ball grips and turns. 

Bangladesh spinners are tightening the screws here. They are stringing in a few quiet tight overs and as result the pressure has got Kohli out. Just the ball before Rishad tossed one up and the ball turned away from Kohli the following delivery Kohli tried to cut the ball which was not there got the top edge and was caught by the point fielder. This is turning into a humdinger of a contest. If this is how this pitch is going to play those 229 runs India is chasing are not going to be easy. Shanto will be looking around his bowling group now to see who else can bowl a bit of spin. 

Bangladesh spinners are tightening the screws here. They are stringing in a few quiet tight overs and as result the pressure has got Kohli out. Just the ball before Rishad tossed one up and the ball turned away from Kohli the following delivery Kohli tried to cut the ball which was not there got the top edge and was caught by the point fielder. This is turning into a humdinger of a contest. If this is how this pitch is going to play those 229 runs India is chasing are not going to be easy. Shanto will be looking around his bowling group now to see who else can bowl a bit of spin. 

Bangladesh spinners are tightening the screws here. They are stringing in a few quiet tight overs and as result the pressure has got Kohli out. Just the ball before Rishad tossed one up and the ball turned away from Kohli the following delivery Kohli tried to cut the ball which was not there got the top edge and was caught by the point fielder. This is turning into a humdinger of a contest. If this is how this pitch is going to play those 229 runs India is chasing are not going to be easy. Shanto will be looking around his bowling group now to see who else can bowl a bit of spin. 

India has scored only 32 runs in the last 10 and there are two ways to look at it. Maybe there looking for dew to set in and hope to capitalize after that or they have decided to take this innings a bit deeper. Not long ago during the 2023 Asia Cup India played Bangladesh in similar conditions in Colombo. Shubman Gill scored a sublime ton on that day however, the problem India had in the chase on that day was no other batter was prepared to stay with Gill and build a partnership. If anything were to learn from that game India just might take a back seat and eat away at the total and with the start they have got they just have a bit of breathing space.

Rishad has come into the attack here and he did start well. He did not get any turn in that opening over but the odd ball is stopping and odd ball is skidding on. The longer there won't be any dew the slower this surface will get and sooner we might even see the ball turning when the bowlers bowl it a bit slow and toss the ball up to the batters. It is going to be a tricky chase for India from here on. It is only 6:20 PM local time in Dubai and it would be unfair to expect dew already. Seems like Rohit Sharma's side has to weather the storm for a bit and see where they are in 30-40 minutes time in this game. If they will look to force the issue the percentage of them failing is too high. 

The scoring has gone down since the wicket of Rohit Sharma. The Bangladesh bowlers are taking the pace of the ball. The likes of Virat Kohli who has walked into the middle is struggling with the pace of the surface. Najmul Hossain Shanto as a skipper and his bowlers have something to work with here. These are the conditions they do find in Dhaka and they have to capitalize on it by building pressure on India. The likes of Tanzid have bowled well after the beating he took in the opening over but it just might be the right time for Bangladesh to bring in the leg-spinner Rishad Hossain into attack. Kohli in recent times has had his fair share of issues against the leg-spinners and Rishad at this stage of the game might just get some turn as well. 

Rohit tried to play one through the off-side however, did not get the timing right and the ball went high in the air and the fielder on the ring took the catch. He did start well did Rohit but did perish to the slower one eventually. That over is an indication that slower ones are stopping a bit on the surface. However, India did get to a good start unlike Bangladesh themselves who were 39/5 in the powerplay. What India's start will do is let the batters coming in take some time to get adjusted to the pace of the surface. However, India needs to ensure that though batters are taking their time they do keep the strike rotating and the set batter has a healthy amount of balls faced from time to time. 

Shubman Gill is getting into the act now he climbed onto Tanzid. This is what Bangladesh did not want. They wanted India at least one down before their inexperienced lot came into the attack and did not happen and it might be time when Bangladesh have to pay for it. India's 10 overs into this inning has already eaten away at more than 1/5th chunk of the total and that is where India is quite different from Pakistan. Yesterday chasing 320 runs they just struggled to get going in this phase of the game. And in this format of the game in modern, it might not have to be as brutal as India is but if they can manage to get 60 runs consistently regardless of whether them having or Fakhar Zaman or not it will make a massive difference and help the middle order. As we update Rohit departs.

India has got to a good start here. Both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill have played some sumptuous shots and got the innings underway. Rohit Sharma has been brutal against Mustafizur who has tried to mix his swinging balls with pace variations which Rohit managed to pick early and moved across to clear the infield to send them to boundaries. Bangladesh need to find a wicket here somehow as the longer these two bat it will get deflating for Bangladesh. Taskin and Mustafizur are the two most experienced bowlers in this attack and if they don't strike with the new ball there will be huge pressure on the attack to follow those who don't have much expierence and neither the pedigree at this level. 

Rohit Sharma has breached the 11000 runs mark here in ODI cricket. What a career he has had. To turn back the clock it all started for him in this tournament in 2013 when MS Dhoni decided he would open alongside Shikhar Dhawan in that tournament which changed his career completely. He made a habit of making big tons as an opener and made sure India posted massive totals. And when he saw the game was evolving in a different direction he led from the front in the 2023 World Cup by playing attacking cricket. However, all that was in the past. He is coming to the final part of his career and he would want to win this Champions Trophy and would want to have a productive tournament with the bat as well. 

Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are in the middle for India to start the chase. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur have taken the new ball for Bangladesh both the seamers are quite good for Bangladesh however, they need to bowl well today if they have to defend the 228 runs they have put on. They are up against arguably the best-opening combination of the tournament. Both Rohit and Gill irrespective of how accurate these two are will try and take their chances. The pitch will definitely suit Rohit Sharma with minimal moment and slowness. We have seen recently in Cuttack against how brutal he can be when conditions are such. He can take the game away from Bangladesh in the first 10 overs here. 

Both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are in the middle and the chase begins. Taskin Ahmed has taken the new ball for Bangladesh and it will be quite interesting to see how this surface will respond at this time in the day. 

The weather on the day of the match is expected to be overcast with AccuWeather predicting thickening clouds throughout the day. The temperature in the morning is expected to be 26 degrees, increasing to 27 degrees in the afternoon making it conducive o cricket. The cloud cover will remain in place in the evening as well with the temperature going down to 23 degrees.

A lot happened. I didn't know if it (Tanzid Hasan wicket) was out, but KL appealed and it was out. Then I go the second wicket. The third one, when the edge was found, I thought I got my hat-trick. It was an eventful over. I started to celebrate and then I saw it (Rohit dropping the catch). I didn't react and just came back. It's part of the game. The wicket got easier to bat and I think it's an easy total to chase. It's a slow wicket and as the ball gets older, it gets easier to bat. Second innings, it'll continue to remain slow. My role is to contribute whenever my team needs. Happy that the team trusts me a lot.

Harshit Rana picks up the final wicket and that is the end of the innings for Bangladesh. It is Towhid Hridoy who is the final man who has fallen. Bangladesh has got to 228 runs which is a great recovery when compared to where they were in the first Powerplay however, if India bat to their potential it should not be enough. However, cricket is a funny game and batting did get a touch harder as the innings went on with the softer ball when bowlers but for all of those factors to come into play Bangladesh needed to pick wickets with the new ball. Credit must be given to Mohammed Shami who has picked up five wickets and Towid Hridoy who got a century in the first innings. We will be right back with the chase do stay with us for all the updates. 

Taskin Ahemd flicks one to mid-wicket and that is Shami's fifth wicket of the game. What a spell this has been right from ball one he has stuck to his lines and lengths and the seam position, pace rhythm everything looked perfect. He is coming on the back of an injury but today in all the spells he has bowled he has looked sharp and the execution of his skills too has been perfect. In the absence of Bumrah, Shami will have a huge role to play in this Champions Trophy to provide breakthroughs in all phases of the game and also guide Harshit Rana through difficult phases he might go through in other games of the tournament. 

Hridoy is having a tough time here. He is suffering from cramps he did have treatment in the middle but it doesn't seem to have work but he is still out there in the middle for his team. He has batted exceptionally here today. He has given Bangladesh a fighting chance. Can he take them to around that 250-mark here question but the way Hridoy is batting here it just seems like his legs are so cramped that he cannot play shots anymore it just might be all about taking as many ones as possible and batting out the overs. What a shame it is for him to suffer through cramps and that's what stops him from accelerating in this final stage. As we update Hridoy gets to his 100.

Rishad trying to uppercut the ball ended up timing it straight to Hardik in the ring at third man. It was quite sharp from Pandya as to be fair to him the ball did go to him quite quickly. The pitch has got quite slower here even the balls that are not attempted to be slow are sticking in the surface. Indian openers Rohit and Shubman will see that and try to explode in the powerplay not that either of them needed a second invitation to go after the bowling in the powerplay. However, if Bangladesh does manage to pick a couple of wickets they can make it a bit tricky for India. As we update Tanzim departs he tries to whack the ball on the leg side and chops the ball onto the stumps. After a mini-acceleration they had Bangladesh are now losing wickets in clusters. 

Towid Hridoy is down on the ground here after taking a single the physio has come in to give him treatment. It hasn't been that hot here in Dubai at least in terms of temperature it has been around 28 degrees centigrade which is not bad in Dubai especially when we consider how bad things can get in this part of the world. To be fair to Hridoy he did bat for a long time. He did have to absorb a lot of pressure alongside the heat. We are back and underway after brief injury break and with a hefty blow down the ground from Rishad Bangladesh has gone past 200 here. This is brilliant from Bangladesh the fans of theirs suddenly have found their voice this is a superb recovery here from them and the fact that India still operating finger spin at this stage of the game has helped their cause as well. There just has been a momentum shift in this game it has happened quite steadily and India would be hoping that it won't hurt them badly by the end of this first innings with Bangladesh ending up around that 270-mark out of nowhere. As we update Rana picks Rishad

Mohammed Shami gets the breakthrough. Jaker Ali tried to hit Shami through the long-on region and was beaten by the pace and the fielder Virat Kohli took the catch. With that, Shami gets to 200 wickets. What a bowler he has been for India especially in this format of the game whenever it is an ICC tournament he just goes into a class of his own and once again today he started another tournament with a three-wicket haul and he is not done yet he still has two overs left today. India would be relieved that they have got the breakthrough. Rishad has walked into the middle and it will be interesting to see how Hridoy will bat here. Will he look to build another partnership for 3-4 overs here and then take it on in the last couple of overs or will he just look to capitalize on the momentum which has been building in the last few overs. 

We are into the final 10 of the innings and Bangladesh has still five wickets in hand now that sounds different compared to we are only in the 10th over and Bangladesh have already lost five. That is quite a remarkable recovery for Bangladesh. It doesn't matter what happens in the second innings but this performance from Jaker and Towid will be a huge confidence boost for them going forward in the tournament. If they do manage to get to 250 they will genuinely believe with momentum in their hands they can get better off India in the second innings. And contrarily this is what the challenge for India will be in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. How many will they concede in the death without him? How effective are their plans in this phase of the game against two set batters on a wicket which does not have much assistance. 

Kuldeep Yadav has beaten the batters quite a bit but he does not have a wicket to show for himself. His primary job on the side is to get breakthrough in the middle overs. And once he fails to deliver that consistently India does have the option of Varun Chakravarthy breathing down his neck all the time. In a couple of games, he played against England he did lack the penetration in the middle overs and it was only when the batters decided that they were going to take risks against him he managed to scalp a few wickets. But credit also must be given to how well both Jaker and Towid have batted today despite getting beaten time and again by spinners they did not lose their composure but just kept batting. Rohit and Gambhir would be a bit frustrated about how this innings has progressed.

Bangladesh has recovered quite well here since the last drinks break. Jaker Ali has got to his half-century here as well so things have turned here for Bangladesh. It did look quite nightmarish at the start for them but both Jaker and Towid did keep their cool and have fought hard. But despite all that they are still nowhere near a total that could trouble India that is the hole they have dug themselves in the beginning. As we update Hridoy cuts one to third man of Jadeja to get his half-century. With 14 overs still left maybe Bangladesh could try and get to around 220 which will give them a bit of a chance but they have to bowl extremely well in the second innings. 

The games in Dubai and UAE in general are quite dictated by the amount of dew that comes in the second innings. Especially in T20 games, we have seen in the past how much of an advantage teams bowling first gain at 6:00 PM start local time. However, will the there be same amount of unbalance in ODIs will be very interesting to see and observe. The games are starting at 1:00 PM local time hence the second innings would start around 5:30 in normal circumstances. At that point, the natural light will be still turned on and by the time dew forms in and starts to affect the game the second innings too would have progressed quite a bit. Hence it just might not make that much of a difference here in Dubai as far as dew is concerned. But in Pakistan, games start an hour later at 2. 

The partnership is now in 70s. At the 10-over mark India would have been hoping to close this inning early on and finish of the chase quickly too to get a good NRR but this partnership has been quite resilient from both Towid and Jaker, India did not cover them in glory by dropping three catches as well. Nevertheless, this is a decent partnership for Bangladesh and they have laid some sort of stand here. Within 3-4 overs time one of them might decide to take on the bowling attack while the other might just look to bat through. Mind you not much quality batting to come after this is so how many overs they want to leave before taking on the attack is also something worth noting. 

Mohammed Shami has come back for his second spell he has not used many slower ones yet in this spell it will be interesting to see how this softer ball will respond. Predominantly Shami has been bowling hard-lenght again in this spell which the batters are trying to work on either side of the wicket and have been fairly successful thus far. As we update Harshit Rana too comes into the attack for his second spell while Shami might not be a prolific use of the slower one, Rana is and he executes them brilliantly in this phase of the game. Not only it is about today but going forward in the tournament how the softer ball here in Dubai will respond is something worth noticing in the middle overs and will probably play a part in tactics captains want to use here and how they want to use their faster bowlers. 

India has used six bowlers in this innings so far and all have bowled well. Though it was a dead pitch they stuck to their lines and lengths and Bangladesh batters did make the errors. One thing with the Indian attack is even when there is not much help or the wickets are not coming they still bowl pretty tight lines and lengths to frustrate the batters. They want the opposition batters to take that extra chance to get their boundaries and runs. In addition to accuracy, another feature of this attack is how well they read the pitch and make the plans suffice the surface and also have the bowlers to execute them to perfection. They do possess the variety in the attack too to keep the batters guessing.

Jaker and Towid have put on a 50-run stand here in the middle. They were helped with a few dropped chances as well but they did bat sensibly. There were no over-the-top risks from either of them it was just playing percentage cricket and getting those ones and twos away and keeping the scoreboard ticking. While it has been fine, Bangladesh still need to keep doing this for another hour or so and then see where they are at and assess where can they get to. As of now, things have definitely calmed down in the middle and that is what is the beauty of ODI cricket when compared to T20I cricket. If Bangladesh had had a similar start in the T20I game they would have been done and dusted by now but with the amount of time in ODI cricket they can always rebuild which is what they are doing and once they get adjusted to the pace of the wicket no matter how good the opposition attack runs will start to come it is all about doing the basics right and consistently. 

Kuldeep Yadav has replaced Ravindra Jadeja here with the ball. Jadeja was bowling to the end where leg-side boundaries were shorter for the right-handers though it is the right angle technically but with two right-handers in the middle it would be easier for them to line Jadeja up and the ball is still not old and soft enough to grip as much for Jadeja to turn it away from the righties. For Kuldeep, this end makes perfect sense as his left-arm leg-break will take the ball into the right-handers and away from left-handers also he possesses the variety of googlies which will do the opposite but with the finger spin of Jadeja, it has to be the arm ball as the variation which won't turn but skids through. As we update Jadeja has changed ends here and comes up from the opposite end where leg-side boundaries are longer.

There has been a bit of calmness after the early chaos of the Bangladesh innings. The likes of Towhid and Jaker are running their ones and twos nicely manipulating the field playing each ball on its merit and building a little partnership. This is what Bangladesh had to right from ball one however, they got greedy and now are paying the price. For India Ravindra Jadeja is coming into the attack and he will get through his overs quickly. The left-arm spinner has been in fabulous form and he has displayed it against England by picking six wickets from two games. His accuracy and pace variation coming off the hand have been sublime and with two right-handers in the middle in this game right now, it would make him more threatening on this dry wicket.

This has been a pretty easy start for India so far. They have not been tested much. Especially the likes of Harshit Rana who had his fair share of issues with the new ball when there was not much help against the likes of Phil Salt and Ben Duckett fact was helped by the Bangladesh batter's naivety. Going forward it is not going to be as easy as this Nevertheless India will take it an easy breezy start a good win to build up the confidence. Overs under the belt for the bowlers and wickets as well just to keep the spirits good.  Now they would just want to close out this innings as quickly as possible and come out and get those runs quickly to get a boost of NRR and go above New Zealand in the table. 

It is hard to figure out what Bangladesh can do here in this game. For starters, they can think about crossing the 100 mark without losing another wicket and take it from there. It has been an extremely disappointing batting effort from them. There is absolutely nothing on this surface however, they managed to lose five playing nothing shots. That over where Axar Patel where he picked up a couple of wickets is bouns for India. The ball just skidded on nicely as the batters were trying to play for turns and angles. When the seamers were bowling the shot selection was way too simple and lose. The only thing Rohit Sharma would be thinking and would be frustrated about at this point in time is the catch he dropped off Axar to deny him the hattrick apart from there having been nothing from Bangladesh to question the Indian tactics. 

This is getting bad to ugly for Bangladesh here. Axar Patel has come into the attack and bowled one outside the off-stump on good length and Tanzid tried to guide it through third man region or in his attempt to play late cut he did edge it to KL Rahul. The keeper appealed but Axar Patel said he did not hear anything however, the batter walked back the umpire raised his finger. As we update Mushfiqur Rahim is done here. He tried to play a forward defence of the first ball but the ball brushed the bat's outside edge to the keeper. Two wickets in two balls for Axar Patel. And more drama as we update Towid edged another one and Rohit at first slip spilled it. He hit the ground in frustration with anger as it denies Axar's hattrick. What an opening over that from Axar Patel he picked up two wickets in that one. We are not even done with the powerplay Bangladesh have already lost half their side.

Mohammed Shami picks up another one. He did pull back his length and Miraz trying to cut the ball edged it to Shubman Gill at second slip who took a brilliant catch. The Indian ICC wicket-tacking machine is at it again. He has picked up two wickets already in this tournament. Bangladesh has always struggled against high pace and today those issues have come to the forefront again. Winning the toss and opting to bat first is the last thing Shanto would have wanted. Towid Hridoy is in the middle. He is quite a talented youngster who has competent technique against all types of bowling but with Shami making the ball dance to his tunes it will be a challenge of a different level altogether. 

Mohammed Shami has started to pitch the ball up looking for more swing after the wicket he picked in the first over when the ball nibbled back in however, whenever he tried to do it Tanzid has been brutal on it hitting it over the in-field for a boundary. While it is worth risk of pitching it up with Bangladesh two down there is no green tinge on the wicket to have any seam moment from full area and it is quite hot and dry to have any moisture to be present in the wicket till this point of the innings. Shami just might be dangling the carrot and hoping to by a wicket but it always comes at risk when there is not enough help and Tanzid got to a start. Meanwhile Harshit Rana will enjoy bowling in these conditions as his natural length which is to hit the hard length is the ideal delivery to bowl with the new ball because of the slowish nature of the surface. 

Time and again though Bangladesh have competed at home against India away from home in neutral conditions especially in ICC events more than the skill set it just seems like they lack the self-belief to beat India. These are the same set of players who have come and faced India in the last few years consistently yet there has been no signs of improvement. They have struggled to deal with the high pace of the Indian seamers with the new ball and neither could their willy spin attack work in neutral conditions. And the start which they have had here they have already pushed themselves onto the backfoot and from scoring a par total the focus is now immediately shifted to not losing wickets and get into defensive mode. Once the tweakers come in and the ball gets older and softer is only going to be difficult and they are already at a disadvantage now. 

Mohammed Shami picks up Soumya Sarkar in the first over. It was a delivery which was around the fourth stump line and seamed inward and the batter trying to hit on the up got the inside edge to the keeper KL Rahul. Winning the toss and opting to bat first is the worst possible start Bangladesh would have hoped for and it is a deck that has absolutely nothing in it. There is no sign even a tinge of grass. It is as dry as it gets however, Bangladesh managed to lose a wicket to a seamer off a delivery which moved a bit playing an abysmal shot. Najumul Shanto has walked into the middle. As we update Shanto too is dismissed here. It was a drive on the up and went straight to Virat Kohli. 10 minutes into the innings Bangladesh are 2-2.

With Arshdeep Singh not around it would be interesting to see who India turn to the death overs. It appears a weak link in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.

One side of the boundary is 64m and the other side is 74.

It's reasonably cool - mid 20s. Very still, not a flag is moving. Dimensions - 82 metres down the ground, square boundaries - there's a 12m difference (62m and 74m). It is very bare. It's the first game of the tournament, so it's a fresh pitch. Because of the Women's T20 World Cup and the ILT20, it can look like a tired square. But this one looks fine. It's not used, mosaic little cracks. It might get a bit tired and a bit dry towards the end. Speaking to the groundsman, he says they've had no dew this year. Win the toss and bat.

Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto(c), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim(w), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav

I would have fielded first. We have played a few years back here so we felt ball comes on better under lights. All looking good. Everyone is fit and fine to go. Let's hope we start well. There is no looking back, every game becomes very important in this tournament. Only Varun misses out from the last ODI we played, Jadeja comes back and Arshdeep misses and Shami comes back.

We would like to bat first. Looks a good wicket so we want to put runs on the board. We have play good cricket today and the boys are confident. Three spinners, two spinners for us.

Bangladesh electing to bat first. Interesting decision.  They don’t expect dew to come into play later in the night. But with this being a 1pm start local time, the pitch tends to be slower during the day.

Mohammed Shami is marking his run-up and so has Hardik Pandya.  Harshit Rana also walking with the tape