"Dinner pending hai" - Axar Patel's cheeky message to Rohit Sharma after missing hat-trick in BAN vs IND 2025 Champions Trophy
Team India all-rounder Axar Patel sent a cheeky message to skipper Rohit Sharma following their Champions Trophy 2025 victory over Bangladesh on Thursday, February 20. Patel was close to picking up a hat-trick but Rohit dropped a sitter in the slip, preventing the all-rounder from reaching the landmark.
Following the win, Rohit jokingly said in the post-match interview that he would take Patel to dinner to compensate for the dropped catch. The all-rounder could've become the second player in Champions Trophy history to take a hat-trick had the veteran opener not missed the simple catch.
After the game, taking to X, the southpaw wrote:
"Wickets in the bag, win on the board… @ImRo45 Dinner pending hai."
The missed hat-trick opportunity came in the ninth over of Bangladesh's innings. Axar had dismissed Tanzid Tamim and Mushfiqur Rahim in back-to-back deliveries. Jaker Ali then tamely pushed on the next ball but picked an edge. Rohit, however, fluffed the chance and openly expressed his frustration by repeatedly hitting the ground. He also apologised to the all-rounder by folding his hands.
Jaker, meanwhile, went on to score 68 off 114 deliveries and stitched a 154-run partnership with Towhid Hridoy, who battled cramps to score a hundred. Their effort propelled Bangladesh to a fighting 228 in 49.4 overs.
Rohit Sharma got Team India off to a blazing start as they won by six wickets
Meanwhile, Rohit led from the front with the bat on a tricky surface, hitting seven boundaries in his 36-ball 41 before falling to Taskin Ahmed. Bangladesh did fight back as leg-spinner Rishad Hossain dismissed Virat Kohli and Axar to finish with figures of 10-0-38-2. At 144-4, the match had the potential to go either way.
However, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul batted at perfect pace to steer India over the line with 21 balls to spare. The Men in Blue will next face Pakistan on Sunday, February 23, in Dubai. Pakistan, the defending champions, are under enormous pressure after losing their opening game to New Zealand by 60 runs.