Shubman Gill couldn’t hide his disappointment as Virat Kohli fell cheaply during India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The veteran batter, known for his ability to anchor chases, failed to make a significant impact, much to the frustration of both himself and his teammates.
Kohli walked in after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal in the 10th over, looking to build India’s chase. However, he appeared tentative early on, taking time to settle. Just when he seemed to be finding his rhythm, young Bangladeshi leg-spinner Rishad Hossain cut short his stay. In the 23rd over, Rishad bowled a length delivery outside off-stump, enticing Kohli into a backfoot punch.
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Unfortunately, he failed to keep the shot down, and Soumya Sarkar at the backward point took a sharp catch. Virat Kohli, clearly frustrated, inspected his bat in disbelief, while Shubman Gill, standing at the non-striker’s end, reacted with visible disappointment. Kohli managed just 22 runs off 38 balls, striking only one boundary. His struggles against leg-spin continued, with this being his fifth dismissal to leg-spinners in 51 deliveries since 2024.
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During this period, he has averaged only 6.20 at a strike rate of 60.78 against wrist spinners in ODIs. India and Bangladesh last met in an ODI on October 19, 2023, during the ICC Cricket World Cup in Pune, where India secured a convincing seven-wicket win. Bangladesh started strong, with Tanzid Hasan (51) and Litton Das (66) forging a 93-run opening stand.
However, Indian spinners turned the game around. Ravindra Jadeja (2/38) and Kuldeep Yadav (1/47) slowed the scoring, while Jasprit Bumrah (2/41) and Mohammed Siraj (2/60) tightened things up in the death overs, restricting Bangladesh to 256/8.
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\India’s chase was clinical, led by a solid 88-run opening partnership between Rohit Sharma (48 off 40) and Shubman Gill (53 off 55). After their dismissals, Virat Kohli took charge, crafting a masterful unbeaten 103* off 97 balls. With KL Rahul (34*) providing support, Kohli guided India to victory in just 41.3 overs, earning him the Player of the Match award.
