Showed his class

Towhid Hridoy defied Indian bowlers to lead Bangladesh's recovery in the opening match of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on Thursday. The middle-order batter scored 100 runs from 118 balls with six boundaries and two sixes to lift Bangladesh from a precarious 35-5 to a respectable 228 all out.

However, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, Renowned Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle and former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja heaped praise on rising star Towhid Hridoy, report agencies.

India's captain, Rohit Sharma, acknowledged the brilliance of Hridoy and Jaker for their excellent partnership. He said, "We must give credit to Jaker and Hridoy for putting together a big partnership."

Initially, it seemed that India would have an easy victory, but Bangladesh fought back by taking a few quick wickets in the middle overs. Rohit acknowledged the challenge, saying that while the pitch was slower than expected, both their batting and bowling performance was exceptional.

"There wasn't too much grass on the pitch, and we knew it would be slow. We played accordingly, and I think we adapted well to the conditions in both batting and bowling," said Rohit.

Renowned Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle on Thursday lavished his praise on Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy for notching his maiden century against India in the second match of the Champions Trophy at the Dubai stadium.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Bhogle acknowledged the batting prowess of Hridoy, saying, "Been hearing about Towhid Hridoy for a couple of years. Now and frankly, he hadn't done all that much.

"Showed his class today," he said.

He also extolled the efforts of the Bangladesh batters for adding impetus to the innings, saying, "Hugely admirable from Bangladesh."

Ramiz Raza was particularly impressed by Hridoy's temperament and shot-making ability under pressure. On his YouTube channel, he said, "Hridoy can play big shots, has an aggressive mindset, and runs well between the wickets. He brings a lot of energy".

He further added, "Bangladesh has discovered a priceless asset for their middle order. He proved today how dangerous he can be when set. Scoring a century in such a tough situation against a quality attack shows his potential. He has the skills, temperament, and reliability to go far."

Hridoy made his ODI and T20I debuts within the space of just two weeks back in March 2023 during Bangladesh's home fixtures against Ireland and England respectively. Aged 22 at the time, the cricketer scored 92 runs on his ODI debut from just 85 balls, doing so in a match-winning cause for his team.

In the lead-up to his international debut, Hridoy played various domestic matches for Rajshahi and Shinepukur, and also represented teams like Sylhet Sixers, Fortune Barishal, and Comilla Victorians in BPL as well as Jaffna Kings and Dambulla Sixers in Sri Lanka-based Lanka Premier League.

Hridoy has played 32 T20Is and 34 ODI matches for Bangladesh. Yet to make his Test debut, the 24-year-old cricketer has composed 684 runs from 29 T20I innings at an average of 28.50 and with a strike rate of 129.05.

In ODIs, Hridoy as tallied 977 runs in 30 innings with one century and seven additional scores of fifty or more.