Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma Wants To Make Amends To Axar Patel After Denying Him A Hat-trick During IND vs BAN Match

India's Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Bangladesh was filled with both milestones and missed opportunities. While Mohammed Shami became the fastest Indian to 200 ODI wickets and Rohit Sharma reached 11,000 ODI runs before securing his 100th win as captain, one particular moment left both Rohit and Axar Patel frustrated.

During Bangladesh's innings, India had the upper hand as they reduced their opponents to 35/5. Axar was on the verge of a historic hat-trick after dismissing Tanzid Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim off consecutive deliveries. His third ball found the edge of Jaker Ali's bat, seemingly completing the hat-trick, but Rohit, positioned at first slip, couldn't hold onto what appeared to be a straightforward catch.

Rohit Sharma Wants To Make Amends To Axar Patel After Denying Him A Hat-trick During IND vs BAN Match. Photo: X

The Indian skipper was visibly disappointed, slapping the ground in frustration before apologizing to Axar with folded hands. The missed opportunity proved costly, as Jaker made full use of his reprieve, scoring 68 runs and forging a crucial 154-run partnership with Towhid Hridoy, who registered a century.

Acknowledging the drop during the post-match presentation, Rohit quipped about how he might compensate Axar for the missed milestone.

"May take him (Axar) for dinner tomorrow (smiles)," Rohit said. "No, that was an easy catch, I should have taken that catch with the standards I have set for myself. But I do know these things are bound to happen. Credit to (Towhid) Hridoy and Jaker, they stitched a nice partnership."

The fielding lapses didn't end there for India, as Hardik Pandya dropped Hridoy at mid-off, while KL Rahul missed a stumping opportunity to dismiss Jaker. Despite these errors, India successfully chased down Bangladesh's 228-run target in 46.3 overs, with Shubman Gill guiding the team home with an unbeaten 101.

With a blockbuster clash against Pakistan next on the horizon, Rohit will be hoping for a sharper fielding performance and hopefully we can expect Axar to come up with another hat-trick opportunity against their arch-rivals.