KL Rahul 'sacrificed his fifty' for Shubman Gill's century vs Bangladesh: 'Agar Hardik Pandya hota toh…', fears internet

Shubman Gill has enjoyed quite the start to 2025. The India batter, with scores of 87, 60, 112 and now an unbeaten 101 in yesterday's Champions Trophy match against Bangladesh, is burning up the charts. Had it not been for Gill's resilient ton, India could have suffered the proverbial banana peel against Bangladesh. Four quick wickets fell around him – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel. But thanks to a patient innings and timely support from KL Rahul, Gill flourished, en route to completing his 8th ODI hundred and taking India over the line to fetch his team 2 crucial points. Hardik Pandya (L) would have been the next batter to partner Shubman Gill if KL Rahul's wicket was to fall(Agencies)

Gill and Rahul added an unbroken partnership of 87 runs for the fifth wicket as India chased down 230 to win the match by six wickets. Rahul, who came under the scanner for low scores in the England ODIs and unsatisfactory performance behind the stumps against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday, more than made up for it with his consolidated effort. More importantly, Rahul hung around for Gill. Unbeaten at 47, Rahul didn't care about his own fifty but allowed Gill to complete his century, which won the internet's heart.

Also Read: 'Message came from dressing room...' - Shubman Gill on Rohit, Gambhir's role in 'most satisfying century' in India's win

More so because the next batter in was Hardik Pandya. Hardik has often found himself in a position where he has finished the game on his own, despite his partner nearing the milestone. Who can forget what happened in West Indies two years ago when Tilak Varma was batting on 49. Hardik smashed a six and won India the game, but copped flak for his 'selfish' act.

Here too, fans worried that had Rahul lost his wicket, and Hardik came out to bat, Gill could have been denied a century. They praised Rahul for allowing his partner to reach the milestone.

Here are some reactions:

Milestones galore

Gill's 101 not out with 11 fours and two cracking sixes weren't the only highlights of the match. Rohit, once again, gave India a blistering start to the innings, scoring a quickfire 41 off 36 balls and in the process, also completed 11000 runs in ODI cricket. He initially struggled to meet the ball in the middle of his bat, but once he did, the memories of the 2023 World Cup came flooding back.

Earlier in the match, that Bangladesh were able to cross 200 was solely due to Towhid Hridoy's maiden century. At 35/5, all hopes seemed lost, and India seemed to be cruising towards a dominant, one-sided victory. But then came a century partnership of 154 between Hridoy and Jaker Ali. Both batters enjoyed lifelines – Rohit dropped Jaker on his first ball, and Hridoy was put down by Hardik. But despite their combined efforts, Bangladesh couldn't get the job done.

Mohammed Shami too made a triumphant return to ICC tournament, completing 200 wickets in ODIs, and becoming the fastest-ever to achieve the feat.

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