Dubai: Skipper Rohit Sharma showered praise on his deputy Shubman Gill and veteran pacer Mohammed Shami for coming up with game-changing performances against Bangladesh in India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh here on Thursday.
Gill made an unbeaten hundred and Shami walked away with a five-wicket haul as India registered a six-wicket win over Bangladesh at the DICS.
“We’ve been in that situation many times before and like I said many times (in the past), there’s a lot of experience in that dressing room to handle that composure where it’s needed, and KL (Rahul) and (Shubman) Gill at the end were quite composed,” Rohit said during the post-match presentation.
“Gill, we all know the class he possesses. He has been in brilliant form lately, and what he showed today shouldn’t surprise anyone. What stood out was how he stayed till the end to ensure the win,” Rohit said.
Rohit also credited KL Rahul and Gill for keeping their calm under pressure.
“We’ve been in these situations before. There’s a lot of experience in the dressing room, and KL and Gill showed great composure at the end,” he added.
Shami’s Five-Wicket Milestone
Rohit was equally thrilled with Shami’s five-wicket haul, which also saw the pacer reach 200 ODI wickets.
“Very happy for him. It has been a long wait, but we all know what he brings to the team. His quality, his match-winning ability—every time we hand him the ball, he delivers. We need guys like him to step up in big moments,” Rohit said.
With India’s next match against Pakistan on February 23, Rohit expects the Dubai International Stadium pitch to continue playing slow.
“It’s just one game, so it’s hard to predict, but we knew with little grass on the pitch, it would be on the slower side, and that’s exactly how it played,” he explained.
India started their chase of 229 aggressively but had to alter their approach midway. Rohit admitted that his team faced pressure.
“We were under pressure a bit, but that’s expected in a tournament like the Champions Trophy. Against quality teams, you will have tense moments, and that’s where experience comes in,” he noted.
Rohit also reflected on his dropped catch of Jaker Ali (68), which denied Axar Patel a hat-trick.
“Might take him (Axar) out for dinner tomorrow! It was an easy catch, and I should have taken it, especially given the standards I’ve set for myself in the slip cordon,” Rohit joked.
Despite the missed chance, Rohit credited Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali for their resilient partnership after Bangladesh’s early collapse.
“These things happen in cricket. They were 36 for five, but there will always be partnerships. Credit to Hridoy and Jaker, they played brilliantly,” he concluded.
India will now shift focus to their high-stakes clash against Pakistan, aiming to maintain their winning momentum in the Champions Trophy 2025.
