A confident India will look to hit the ground running when they face Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy opener in Dubai on Thursday, February 20, 2025.
A strong start is crucial for India in the eight team tournament, with tougher challenges ahead against Pakistan and New Zealand.
India will be buoyed by their dominating performance in the 3-0 series whitewash against England. Bangladesh suffered a similar fate when they were trounced 0-3 in the West Indies in December.
Despite the absence of premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, India remain among the tournament favourites.
India's batting looked formidable against England with Rohit Sharma back in form with a smashing century while Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer continued their consistency in the 50 overs format.
Virat Kohli's form remains a talking point. While he managed a fifty in the third ODI in Ahmedabad, he didn't look that convincing. That was his first 50-plus score after eight successive failures at the international level.
Kohli's record in big tournaments speaks for itself. He was the leading scorer in the 2023 World Cup with a record 765 runs in 11 games -- the highest-ever in the tournament's history.
His record in 50 overs cricket is phenomenal, with a world record 50 centuries, and is the highest run-getter among the active players with 13,963 runs in 297 ODIs at an average of 57.92.
Indian batters records against Bangladesh in ODIs:
| Player | Games | Innings | 100s | 50s | Highest Score | Runs | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 16 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 136 | 910 | 75.83 | 101.79 |
| Rohit Sharma | 17 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 137 | 786 | 56.14 | 97.28 |
| Shubman Gill | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 121 | 174 | 87.00 | 92.55 |
| K L Rahul | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 225 | 45.00 | 82.42 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 82 | 128 | 32.00 | 74.42 |
| Hardik Pandya | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | -- |
| Axar Patel | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 137 | 22.83 | 113.22 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 108 | 27.00 | 86.40 |
Kohli has been quite dominant against Bangladesh in 50 overs cricket with 910 runs from 16 matches at an average of 75, with five centuries, including three centuries in his first six ODIs and two successive tons in his last two games against them.
The other two batters in the India middle order have also been reliable in ODIs -- with Shreyas Iyer averaging 48.18 in 65 games and K L Rahul averaging 47.59 in 80 matches.
One concern for India is the absence of a left-hander in the top five, making all-rounder Axar Patel's role crucial. Promoted to No. 5 in the England series, Axar impressed with scores of 52 and 41 not out in successful chases.
With all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja adding depth, India possess a strong batting line-up all the way till No. 8.
Bumrah's withdrawal leaves a big void in India's bowling attack. Mohammed Shami, coming back from a long injury lay-off, is yet to hit top form while Arshdeep Singh has played only nine ODIs and Harshit Rana made his debut in the England series.
Spin could be India's key weapon on Dubai's dry surfaces. Varun Chakravarthy impressed in the England T20I series while Jadeja and Axar were effective in the middle overs.
Kuldeep Yadav is no longer the preferred option in the spin department and could face a fight to break into the playing XI.
India vs Bangladesh In ODIs
| Venue | Won by India | Won by Bangladesh | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Bangladesh | 18 | 6 | 1 |
| Neutral Venues | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 32 | 8 | 1 |
Bangladesh's pace attack, led by Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan and Nahid Rana, could test India's top order with the new ball. The absence of seniors Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal has weakened their batting considerably.
India have dominated Bangladesh in ODIs, winning 32 of 41 encounters played against them. Their only previous Champions Trophy meeting was in the 2017 semi-final in Birmingham, where India cruised to a nine wicket win courtesy of Rohit's unbeaten century.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, K L Rahul (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy/Kuldeep Yadav.
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