• Home
  • Cricket News
  • 3 Reasons Why Bangladesh Should Have Bowled First Vs India In Champions Trophy 2025

3 Reasons Why Bangladesh Should Have Bowled First Vs India In Champions Trophy 2025

Bhargav Dixit

Rohit Sharma With Ball In Hand (Source: AP Photos)Rohit Sharma With Ball In Hand (Source: AP Photos)

Having won only two out of their 13 ICC Champions Trophy matches till now, Bangladesh would’ve hoped to rejig a dismal record in this competition. Although facing India in the first match of the ongoing season is a challenge of the highest level, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was hoping for a “positive outcome” before the match.

Not that the match is over but there is no hiding to the fact that 228 in 49.4 overs isn’t a positive outcome. Neither is losing half the side within the first powerplay especially after winning the toss and opting to bat first.

Below are three reasons why Shanto could’ve given Bangladesh more time to get the hang of things by opting to bat first at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday:

1. India Are Better Chasers

Even a casual cricket fan is expected to be aware that India are better at chasing totals especially in ODI cricket. Ignoring the conditions and opposition for a while, the sheer presence of their top-order, despite the inconsistent form lately, puts them in the driver’s seat irrespective of the target at hand.

In the last decade, 67 out of India’s 124 ODI wins have come while batting second. Although the margin gets reduced, Indian wins while chasing a total still outnumber their wins while setting a total in the last five years. Speaking of the last three years, 22 out of their 41 wins have come after bowling first.

2. Even Bangladesh Are Better Chasers

In the recent years, much like India, even Bangladesh’s strong point lies in chasing targets. While their eight ODI wins against India doesn’t paint a clear picture, their recent record does.

Bangladesh, 14 of whose 24 wins in the format in the last three years have come while bowling first, have the exactly same number of wins batting first and second in the last decade.

3. ODI Record In Dubai

Out of the 56 Dubai ODIs which have produced outright results, 22 have been won by teams batting first in comparison to 34 victories by chasing sides. Even in the recently concluded third season of International League T20, as many as 11 matches (out of 15) were won by teams chasing totals at this ground.