India kicked off their 2025 International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy campaign with an emphatic six-wicket win over Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium.
The exciting encounter produced plenty of talking points as world-class performances from Shubman Gill and Mohammed Shami helped India see off Bangladesh’s spirited challenge.
Despite the quality of cricket on display, the turnout in the stadium was incredibly poor, leaving many people to question the ICC’s decision to stage games in the Middle East.
India went into the match as overwhelming favourites, with several bookmakers rating them as 1.09 shots to win the game. Read on as we analyse some of the major talking points.
Gill Scores Century to Power India to Six-Wicket Win
Gill was at the peak of his powers, delivering a masterclass in controlled batting to spur his side to a comprehensive victory.
India lost wickets at regular intervals chasing a target of 229, but they were never in real trouble thanks to Gill’s composure and technical brilliance.
The Gujarat Titans captain scored a remarkable unbeaten century, taking his side home in the 47th over with 101 from 129 deliveries – his eighth one-day international century.
Gill also scored nine fours and two sixes to get India over the line with 3.3 overs to spare. The 25-year-old formed a solid 69-run partnership with Rohit Sharma.
Sharma made 41 in a 69-run opening stand with Gill before Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Patel came and went. KL Rahul hit an unbeaten 41 after he was dropped on nine.
Gill’s ability to take the game by the scruff of the neck reminded cricket fans of some of India’s legendary finishers, with the likes of MS Dhoni coming to mind.
ICC Blamed for Shocking Empty Stadium in Dubai
While the action on the field was captivating, the atmosphere in the stands was anything but.
There was an alarmingly low turnout at the 25,000-seater stadium, which was particularly shocking considering any game involving India usually attracts a massive crowd and deafening support.
The massively underwhelming crowd turnout raised plenty of eyebrows, with fans questioning the ICC’s planning of the tournament.
Despite the disappointing turnout in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the game still generated plenty of excitement in the Middle East, particularly in the betting industry.
India’s low odds of winning would normally discourage punters, but they were a popular pick on 1XBET. The reputable betting platform was inundated with Arab players on game day.
Given the growing betting interest in cricket across Middle East as a whole, high-profile games such as India’s curtain raiser carry plenty of weight, even if it wasn’t reflected in the attendance.
It is anyone’s guess why an Indian game produced such a disappointing turnout. Fans may have grown tired of the format, or it may have something to do with ticket prices.
Mohammed Shami Reaches 200 ODI Wickets
Shami etched his name in the history books by becoming the fastest Indian to reach 200 ODI wickets in terms of matches played, hitting the milestone in just 104 games.
He did not shy away from the spotlight of the ICC Champions Trophy, claiming 5-53 to help India secure a comfortable win.
Shami set the tone early, removing Soumya Sarkar in the first over and striking again to dismiss Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Bangladesh seemed destined for an embarrassing collapse at 35-5, but a remarkable partnership between Towhid Hridoy (100) and Jaker Ali (68) helped them recover to post 228.
Shami’s pace, accuracy and ability to extract movement off the pitch caused plenty of trouble for Bangladesh’s batsmen throughout the contest.
His fifth wicket of the innings was Taskim Ahmed, who was caught at deep midwicket. It proved to be the tie-breaker, helping him past Zaheer Khan’s record for most wickets by an Indian in ICC ODI events, taking his tally to 60 wickets in just 19 matches.
Shami had been on the sidelines since the 2023 ODI World Cup final, but his comeback was nothing short of spectacular.
