India Start their Champions Trophy campaign with a win against Bangladesh

Shubman Gill displayed immense patience and determination, grinding out his slowest ODI century—also India’s slowest in six years—to steer the team through a tricky chase of 229. The sluggish pitch and tense atmosphere might have brought back memories of India’s 3-0 series loss to Sri Lanka on similar tracks. Though the chase started strong with a 69-run opening stand, India had to dig deep to get over the line. Earlier, Mohammed Shami set the stage with a brilliant five-wicket haul—his sixth in ODIs—while also becoming the fastest bowler to reach 200 wickets in terms of balls bowled.

India and Bangladesh will rue missed chances in their Champions Trophy opener. Bangladesh crumbled to 35 for 5 despite winning a crucial toss but recovered through Towhid Hridoy’s gritty century, aided by dropped catches and late runs from Rishad Hossain. India, after misreading conditions and opting to bowl, failed to capitalize on early wickets, allowing Bangladesh to post a competitive total. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill started aggressively, but after Rohit’s dismissal, scoring became tough. Virat Kohli struggled before falling to Rishad Hossain, and India endured a long boundary drought. A missed stumping by KL Rahul summed up a game where both teams let key moments slip.

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International games

• Bangladesh vs India

  BAN 228 (49.4)

  IND 231/4 (46.3)

  India won by 6 wkts

Gujarat Put Kerala on backfoot by playing counter-attacking cricket in the semi-final test

Gujarat 429 for 7 (Panchal 148, Jaymeet 74*, Saxena 4-135) trail Kerala 457 (Azharuddeen 177*, Nagwaswalla 3-81) by 28 runs

Just eight games into his debut season, 22-year-old Jaymeet Patel has already delivered big as a batting all-rounder, with a quarter-final century against Saurashtra and crucial twin fifties in a must-win clash against Himachal. Now, with an unbeaten 74, he can outshine those performances by guiding Gujarat to the 28 runs needed for a decisive first-innings lead against Kerala. While the first inning remainss unresolved, the real intrigue lies in the contrasting approaches of both teams, making this a gripping, slow-burning contest.

Hemang Patel, brought in as a concussion sub for Ravi Bishnoi after a delayed reaction to a fielding injury on Day 3, made an immediate impact with a quick 28 after earning a promotion up the order. His aggressive stroke play briefly put Kerala under pressure, but an attempted big shot led to his downfall, brilliantly caught at square third man by substitute Shoun Roger. Chintan Gaja’s LBW dismissal, upheld by DRS, pushed Gujarat to the brink, but Jaymeet Patel’s resilience has kept them alive, standing between Kerala and their maiden Ranji Trophy final.

Domestic cricket + T20 leagues

• Gujarat vs Kerala, Semi-Final 1

KER 457

GUJ 429/7 (154)  

Day 4: Stumps: Gujarat trail by 28 runs

•  Vidarbha vs Mumbai, Semi Final 2

     VID 383 & 292

          MUM 270 & 83/3 (31)  

           Day 4: Stumps—Mumbai need 323 runs

CHAMPIONS TROPHY MATCH PREVIEW: Afghanistan vs South Africa, 3rd Match, Group B

Afghanistan and South Africa’s opening clash in Karachi could be the most pivotal match in Group B, even with Australia and England in the mix. Australia arrives struggling, England is out of form, and South Africa has lost six straight ODIs—though key players are now back. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has won eight of their last ten ODIs, including a 2-1 series win over South Africa in Sharjah, making them serious contenders. With a huge Afghan refugee presence in Karachi, they’ll have strong local support, while South Africa will look to bounce back at full strength. Political tensions have led to calls for boycotts against Afghanistan, but captain Hashmatullah Shahidi insists they’re focused on cricket. The last ICC meeting saw South Africa dominate at the 2024 T20 World Cup, but on a fairer pitch, this could be a much closer contest.

On This Day

2016

Brendon McCullum bid farewell to international cricket in style, smashing the fastest Test hundred in just 54 balls, surpassing Viv Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq’s record by two deliveries. Facing Australia in Christchurch, he walked in at 32 for 3 on a lively pitch and wasted no time, driving his second ball for four. Just before lunch, he took 21 runs off a Mitchell Marsh over. A no-ball reprieve on 39 only fueled his attack, as he followed up with a six and two fours in quick succession. His explosive knock powered New Zealand to 370, but centuries from Joe Burns and Steven Smith ensured Australia sealed the series.

Coming tomorrow

• Afghanistan vs South Africa

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women vs Mumbai Indians Women

What else is happening

• Injured Fakhar Zaman ruled out of Champions Trophy; Pakistan call up Imam-ul-Haq

• Rohit Sharma displaces Sachin Tendulkar but falls just short of Virat Kohli's world record of fastest 11000 ODI runs