Performances by Gill, Shami a positive sign for India’s CT campaign: Piyush Chawla 

India commenced its ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a commanding win over Bangladesh. After the match, former India cricketer and JioHotstar expert Piyush Chawla weighed in on Shubman Gill’s stellar innings, Mohammed Shami’s impactful comeback and other key moments.

“It was an impressive knock because it wasn’t the easiest pitch to bat on. When you’re chasing around 230 runs on such a surface, you need someone to stay till the end, and that’s exactly what Gill did. A player of his calibre, who is in such good form, knows when to hold back and play responsibly. That’s what makes him such an important player for this Indian team. He understands the situation and what the team needs at any given time. There were phases where he didn’t even try to hit a boundary—just rotating the strike with singles and doubles—because that was what the team required at that moment. That is the sign of a mature player. Now, that he is the vice-captain as well, you expect him to embrace that role, and he did just that. At one point, India was in a tricky situation, having lost a few wickets. But the way he anchored the innings and stayed till the end was very, very impressive, said Chawla.

The former Indian spinner also appreciated Shami. “ICC tournaments and Mohammed Shami—it’s a great love story. Whenever he plays in an ICC tournament, he turns into a different bowler altogether. He’s coming back from injury, and looked a bit rusty in the recent bilateral series. Today he looked much better. We are yet to see a 100% Shami, but this five-wicket haul will definitely boost his confidence. It’s crucial to assess the conditions, and Shami, with his upright seam position, knows exactly where to pitch the ball. He consistently hit the six-to-eight-meter mark, which allowed him to get movement off the surface. That’s why he was successful, picking up early wickets with the new ball. It was also great to see him using variations, including well disguised slower balls.”