Shubman Gill's in-form batting helped India secure a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy opener on Thursday in Dubai.

Chasing a tricky 229 on a challenging surface, India relied on Gill’s composed 101*—his second consecutive ODI century—to seal the victory with 21 balls remaining.

Pacer Mohammed Shami was instrumental in setting up the win with an impressive 5-53, reducing Bangladesh to 35-5 early on. However, Towhid Hridoy (100) and Jaker Ali (68) mounted a crucial 154-run stand for the sixth wicket, guiding Bangladesh to 228 before being bowled out. India's fielding woes, including two dropped catches, aided their recovery.

In response, India got off to a solid start with Rohit Sharma and Gill finding the boundaries. Rohit, who became the 10th batter—and the fourth Indian—to surpass 11,000 ODI runs, scored 41 before falling to Taskin Ahmed. Virat Kohli, cheered by the sparse crowd, struggled early, taking 10 balls to score his first run and eventually managing 22 before falling to Rishad Hossain.

India stumbled briefly at 144-4 as Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer departed, but Gill remained steady, forming an unbeaten 87-run partnership with KL Rahul (41*). Rahul was given a lifeline early when Jaker dropped a catch at deep mid-wicket, but India never lost control from there.

Gill reached his eighth ODI hundred and guided India to victory, cementing his role as a key player in their campaign.

BDST: 0030 HRS, FEB 21, 2025
MSK