3 things to look forward to in the India vs Bangladesh Champions Trophy 2025 clash ft. Mohammed Shami
The 2025 Champions Trophy got off to an interesting start in Pakistan, as New Zealand beat the hosts in comprehensive fashion. On Thursday, February 20, action will move to Dubai, where India and Bangladesh will face off in Match 2 of the competition.
India are clearly one of the world's best ODI sides and have been in an excellent run of form. Although they will be without star paceman Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of the tournament, they are the runaway favorites to win the Champions Trophy.
Bangladesh, meanwhile, are the obvious underdogs. However, given the history between the two teams in ICC events and the players from both sides to watch out for, there are plenty of engaging storylines surrounding the encounter.
India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
On that note, here are three things to look forward to in the India vs Bangladesh Champions Trophy clash.
#3 Who will India pick in the seam attack?
In Bumrah's absence, India have picked Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh as their three specialist fast bowlers. Conditions in Dubai might be more seamer-friendly than usual, with slightly overcast weather on the cards.
In that case, the Men in Blue will need their fast bowlers to deliver the goods. As of now, it looks like Shami and Arshdeep will be their first-choice pairing at the Champions Trophy, but there are concerns surrounding both players. While Shami has clearly lost a bit of pace and nip since his long-lasting injury, Arshdeep is relatively inexperienced at the ODI level.
It'll be interesting to see if Rana, who clearly has the backing of the team management and featured in two of the three matches against England, is picked ahead of the other two. Irrespective of who features, a lot will be revealed about India's Champions Trophy aspirations and where they actually stand concerning half their bowling attack.
#2 Bangladesh's veterans gear up for a familiar test
Bangladesh will be without Shakib Al Hasan in an ICC event for the first time in over two decades, but that doesn't mean they'll lack experience. The middle order features two familiar faces in the form of Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah.
Both players will be seriously challenged by Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. The experienced duo are excellent players of spin, and the latter's recent form against West Indies was hugely encouraging. Rahim, meanwhile, might be forced to don the gloves, with the Tigers' team combination likely to require it.
Mahmudullah has already retired from T20Is, and the clock is ticking on their international involvement. They have been close to beating India on several occasions in ICC events - this time, can they actually pull it off?
#1 How will Dubai's pitch play?
Only one thing is certain about the Dubai pitch - the team batting second will be at an advantage. Even that might be negated slightly if the first hour of play happens under overcast conditions.
On the whole, how the wicket plays at the Dubai International Stadium will have wide-ranging implications on the Champions Trophy. India, who will play all their matches at the venue, have packed their squad with spinners, who will be at the forefront of things as the competition wears on.
It seems like the venue will suit them. For now, though, it may also encourage the likes of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill to play their favorite brand of cricket in the powerplay. And that's definitely something to look forward to.