Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali Anik helped Bangladesh get through a rough start to their game and finish strong on Thursday (February 20) in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.  In the powerplay, the Tigers lost five wickets for only 35 runs, and it looked like their batting was about to fall apart.  But Hridoy and Jaker put together a record-setting 154-run combo that helped the team score 228 runs.

Hridoy got his first international century, even though he was having cramps near the end. This earned him praise from both Bangladesh fans and Indian leader Rohit Sharma. The Indian skipper was full of appreciation for Bangladesh’s middle-order fightback. “Credit to Hridoy and Jaker to stitch that big partnership.”

However, India also faced challenges while chasing the target, as the pitch wasn’t easy for batting. “Not much grass on it, we knew it would be on the slower side, and that is how it played. As a team, I thought we adapted to the conditions really well, with the bowling and with the bat as well,” Rohit added.

Mohammed Shami showed everyone why he's one of India's best pacers when he came back to international cricket after being hurt.  The player who took the most wickets in the 2023 World Cup made a strong return, taking five wickets and destroying Bangladesh's top order.

Rohit Sharma was delighted with Shami’s performance, “Mohammed Shami showed everyone why he's one of India's best pacers when he came back to international cricket after being hurt.  The player who took the most wickets in the 2023 World Cup made a strong return, taking five wickets and destroying Bangladesh's top order.”

Bangladesh put up a good fight, but Shubman Gill made it look easy.  He and KL Rahul scored a century that won the game (101* off 129 balls), and they led India to a six-wicket win.  Their 87-run stand in 98 balls made sure that the chase didn't run into any problems at the end.

Rohit Sharma wasn’t surprised by Gill’s composed knock, “Gill, we know the class he has. He's been batting brilliantly of late and today what he showed us, it shouldn't surprise anyone. What was good to see was he was there till the end.”