By Karan Agrawal 
India started their Champions Trophy campaign on a winning note as the Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in their tournament opener courtesy of match-winning performances from Mohammed Shami and Shubman Gill who took a fifer and scored an unbeaten century on their Champions Trophy debuts respectively. The duo was well supported by Axar Patel who missed a well-deserved hattrick as Rohit Sharma dropped a regulation catch at slip which proved to be the turning point of the match as Bangladesh posted a respectable total of 228 runs after being reduced to 35/5 thanks to 154 run partnership between Jaker Ali and Towhid Hridoy with them scoring a half-century and century respectively.
The Performance
Talking about Shami the experienced fast bowler picked his sixth five-wicket haul in ODI on what surprisingly was his Champions Trophy debut. Shami started well with the new ball as he picked up a wicket in the first over of the match and then dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who had the nag of performing well against India. The fast bowler then returned in his third spell to break the 154-run partnership for the sixth wicket to claim his third wicket in the match and clean up Bangladesh’s lower order as he ended up picking his fifth five-wicket haul in ICC ODI tournaments.
The Trust
When asked about the importance of backing he received from the captain and the coach ahead of the Champions Trophy Mohammed Shami said“Whether it’s a question of the captain or the coach, it’s very important for every player to have this support. Because when you plan for such a big tournament, if you have players who trust you, it gives you peace of mind for the captain and the team. I always try to do my best.”
The Mindset
Talking about his mindset Shami said “The one who gives is sitting on top, so he will give as much as he is destined to. But I try to do the same on my side. The responsibility that I have been given, the role that I have been given, and whether I can fulfill the responsibility that has been given to me. I always try to find that out. Like you guys have said that I have been in the ICC event – I didn’t even know the record, which you just said – may such records come in everyone’s life.”