Rohit Sharma Plans This For Axar Patel After Dropping Hat-trick Catch In Champions Trophy 2025

India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, hit the ground a couple of times when he dropped the catch of the left-arm spinner, Axar Patel, during their encounter against Bangladesh at the Champions Trophy 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The blue brigade earned a vital victory in the opening clash to open their account, as they will now face Pakistan in the mouth-watering clash at the same venue two days later.

Rohit Sharma’s innovative plan for Axar Patel

After Rohit Sharma lost the toss in the opening game, the Indian side was asked to bowl first on a surface that was expected to go slow in the evening. With no dew, it could have been a challenge for the national side to chase a score above 280 in the second innings.

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Mohammed Shami, the blue brigade’s right-arm pacer, took just six deliveries to draw first blood for the opponents before Harshit Rana joined the party with the wicket of the opponent captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto. Shami’s wicket of Mehidy Hasan Miraz put more pressure on the Tigers.

Axar Patel was the first spinner Rohit Sharma introduced into the bowling line-up. The left-arm spinner sent back Tanzid Hasan Sakib for 25 runs, as he edged the ball into the hands of the wicket-keeper, while Mushfiqur Rahim went back to the pavilion on the very next delivery. On the hat-trick ball, the Gujarat bowler got two slips and one leg skip.

Jaker Ali edged the slow ball from Patel into the hands of the first slip fielder, Rohit Sharma. It came at a genuine pace and also was at the right height, but the Nagpur-born dropped the sitter as he hit the ground twice frustratedly.

At the end of the game, which India went on to win by six wickets to open their account in the Champions Trophy 2025, Rohit Sharma reckoned that he might take the all-rounder for dinner and admitted that he should have grabbed the catch easily.

“I may take him for a dinner tomorrow. That was an easy catch, I should have taken that catch, the standards I have set standing in the slips, but these things happen.” Rohit mentioned in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Rohit Sharma’s drop catch caused India a huge chase

Jaker Ali, after getting a new life, didn’t offer another chance to the Indian side, as he put up a 154-run stand for the sixth wicket with Towhid Hridoy, who celebrated an impressive century to help the Bangladesh side in going beyond the 200-run mark.

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Ali drilled 68 runs in 114 deliveries, thanks to four boundaries at a strike rate of around 60, as they kept them in the game for an extended period. A successful catch from Rohit Sharma could have packed the side under 100.

Rohit Sharma frees his arm for an aggressive knock

Going into the 229-run chase, it was important for someone to free the arms against the new ball in the powerplay. After a few plays and misses, he tucked away Mustafizur Rahaman for a boundary to the vacant deep backward square-leg fence. He got a thick edge to the third man to celebrate 11000 ODI runs, the second fastest in the milestone.

The 37-year-old ended with a knock of 41 runs in 36 deliveries, shouldering on seven boundaries at a strike rate of 113.89. Shubman Gill’s undefeated century carried them over the line with six wickets in hand and more than 20 balls to spare. A victory against Pakistan in the second encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium will qualify them for the semifinal of the Champions Trophy 2025.