When a bowler gets two wickets in two balls, the stress grows. Hat-tricks are very rare in cricket.  They change the field and bring in close-in fielders. The bowler is then fired up to get that amazing third wicket.

And Axar Patel was in that exact spot today during India's game against Bangladesh at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on Thursday.  In the ninth over, the left-arm spinner got rid of Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim with back-to-back balls, making it possible for him to get a hat-trick.  India captain Rohit Sharma quickly changed the field by adding more fielders around the batter, Jaker Ali Anik, to put pressure on him.

Jaker was under a lot of pressure, so he edged the hat-trick ball right to slip. But in a strange turn of events, Rohit missed the catch!

Axar Patel had done a great job, and Jaker's edge should have been a reason to smile.  Axar almost scored a rare hat-trick, but Rohit let the ball slip through his hands.  It was clear that the Indian captain was upset; he hit the ground in anger.

At the post-match presentation, host Harsha Bhogle couldn’t resist asking Rohit about the drop. With a smile, Rohit joked, "I may take him for a dinner tomorrow."

He then admitted, “That was an easy catch, I should have taken that catch, the standards I have set standing in the slips but these things happen.”

Rohit’s drop wasn’t an isolated incident. Since 2023, he has dropped 10 out of 22 slip catches in ODIs, making him statistically one of the least reliable fielders in that position. Among players who have faced at least 20 catching opportunities in ODIs during this period, Rohit has the worst drop rate.