India captain Rohit Sharma expressed his disappointment after missing out on an easy catch at first slip, denying Axar Patel a hat-trick during their Champions Trophy 2025 opener over Bangladesh on Thursday, February 20.
“That was an easy catch, I should have taken it. I’ve set high standards for myself in the slips, so it was a bit disappointing. But these things happen. More importantly, the way our bowlers performed set the game up for us,” said Rohit at the post-match presentation.
The mislaid chance came in the ninth over when Axar Patel dismissed both Tanzid Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim off two successive deliveries. On hat-trick ball, Axar lured an edge from Jaker, but Rohit squandered the opportunity, where he was evidently crabbed as he started hitting the ground in discontentment. Meanwhile, Axar, took a step back with his hands on his head.
“I was ready to celebrate, but then I turned around and saw it didn’t happen. These things are part of the game,” Axar expressed during the innings break.
Rohit later tried to lighten up the mood with a promise to compensate it with Axar. He said, “I’ll take him out for dinner on Friday night.”
Regardless of Bangladesh’s resistance, India remained preeminent.
“They got a big partnership, and that can happen. Credit to Hridoy and Jaker for the way they batted. But with the bat, I thought we were very clinical,” Rohit acknowledged.
In 10 overs, Axar finished with 2 for 43. India won the match by six wickets on the back of a Shubman Gill century.
