A wonderful love story exists between Mohammed Shami and ICC tournaments: Piyush Chawla

India defeated Bangladesh handily to start the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. Piyush Chawla, a JioHotstar specialist and former India cricket player, offered his thoughts on Mohammed Shami’s significant comeback, Shubman Gill’s outstanding performance, and other significant moments following the game.

In response to Gill’s knock, Piyush Chawla emphasized the pitch’s difficulty and implied that his poised management of the situation was a key factor in India’s victory. Notably, Gill’s 129-ball 101 earned him the title of Player of the Match.

“Considering that it wasn’t the easiest pitch to bat on, it was an amazing knock. You need someone to stick with you till the end when you’re chasing about 230 runs on such a surface, and Shubman Gill accomplished just that. When in such excellent shape, a player of his caliber knows when to hold back and play sensibly. He is a crucial member of this Indian team because of this, Chawla stated.

He is aware of the circumstances and the team’s demands at all times. There were times when he simply rotated the strike with singles and doubles, not even attempting to hit a boundary, because that was what the team needed at the time. That is an indication of a more experienced gamer. You expect him to embrace the job now that he is also the vice captain, and he did. After losing a few wickets, India found themselves in a difficult situation at one point. However, his ability to lead the innings and persevere through to the conclusion was truly remarkable.

Upon his return to international cricket following a protracted injury-enforced break, Piyush Chawla also praised Shami, who became the fastest Indian to reach 200 ODI wickets and secured a fifer to allay any concerns about his form.

“There is a wonderful romance between Mohammed Shami and ICC competitions. He becomes a completely different bowler every time he participates in an ICC tournament. He’s recovering from an injury, and even if he appeared a little rusty during the most recent bilateral series, the fact that he was putting in overs was encouraging. He looked considerably better today. Although we haven’t seen Shami at his best yet, this five-wicket haul will undoubtedly give him more self-assurance.

It’s important to evaluate the situation, and Shami understands just where to pitch the ball because of his upright seam position. He was able to get movement off the surface by routinely hitting the six- to eight-meter mark. He was successful because he used the new ball to take early wickets. His use of variations, such as deceptively disguised slower balls, was also excellent.

Virat Kohli’s dismissal as his battle with leg spinners continued was also evaluated by Piyush Chawla.

Prior to his attempt to cut a length delivery from Rishad Hossain flew straight to Soumya Sarkar, Kohli made a cautious start and appeared at ease in the middle.

“The majority of the spinners were in action when Virat came to bat, and in order to gain that additional piece of time, you should ideally play them off the back foot. He has, however, struggled against leg-spinners in recent games; in his previous five innings, they have removed him five times. Since every squad completes their homework, Bangladesh brought in Rishad Hossain as soon as he arrived.

Rishad deserves praise since he regularly attacked the stumps and bowled tight lines. Rishad bowls faster through the air than other spinners who flight the ball more, giving hitters little time. The added pace and bounce made it impossible for Kohli to keep the ball down, even if it wasn’t too wide for a cut shot. That’s where Rishad’s ability was useful.

“We all know how crucial KL Rahul’s dropped catch was, and we saw Rohit Sharma’s reaction to it,” Chawla added in reference to Rohit Sharma’s response to the catch. He understood the significance of that moment. Rahul scored a crucial 41 runs after being on only 9 runs at the time. He had a strong alliance with Shubman Gill, and those thirty or so runs were really significant.