Champions Trophy: Jadeja and Shami Return as Bangladesh Chooses to Bat First Against India
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Synopsis
In the opening match of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, India has included Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami in their squad after Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium.
Key Takeaways
- Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami return to the Indian lineup.
- Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss.
- Bangladesh has a balanced bowling attack with three seamers and two spinners.
- Rohit Sharma indicated a preference to field first.
- The match is held on a fresh pitch with no dew expected.
Dubai, Feb 20 (NationPress) India has made strategic changes by including Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami in their lineup as Najmul Hossain Shanto, the captain of Bangladesh, won the toss and chose to bat first in the opening Group A match of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday.
Entering as a strong contender in this eight-team competition, India is expected to perform well, although Bangladesh has the potential to create an upset. After the toss, Shanto expressed satisfaction with their preparations, noting that their bowling lineup consists of three seamers and two spinners.
“The pitch looks promising, and we aim to set a solid score. We need to play excellent cricket today, and the team is feeling confident,” he remarked.
In contrast, Indian captain Rohit Sharma mentioned he would have preferred to field first. He confirmed that Jadeja and Shami replaced Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh in the team.
“Having played here a few years ago, we believe the ball performs better under lights. Everything is looking good, and all players are fit and ready. We hope to start strong as each match is crucial in this tournament,” he added.
Today’s game will take place on a fresh pitch, with no dew observed this year as the evening progressed. The straight boundary measures 82 m, while the square boundaries are 74 m and 62 m, respectively.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, and Mustafizur Rahman
