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India`s strong start in the Champions Trophy features Shubman Gill`s century and strategic insights from Sourav Ganguly.

India kicked off their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign with a commanding six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Dubai. The match, held on February 20, saw India restrict Bangladesh to 228 runs before successfully chasing down the target in 46.3 overs. Shubman Gill emerged as the standout performer, scoring an unbeaten 101 off 129 balls, marking his eighth ODI century in just 51 matches.

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly praised India`s formidable white-ball prowess ahead of their crucial clash against Pakistan on February 23. He pointed out Pakistan`s difficulties against spin, which could play a significant role in the upcoming match, especially with India`s quality spinners like Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav ready to exploit the Dubai pitch.

Pakistan, coming off a 60-run defeat to New Zealand, faces immense pressure to secure a win against India to keep their tournament hopes alive. Despite historical challenges in ICC tournaments against India, Pakistan can draw confidence from their last Champions Trophy encounter, where they triumphed over India by 180 runs in the 2017 final.

Ganguly also addressed concerns regarding Virat Kohli`s recent struggles against leg-spin, expressing confidence in Kohli`s ability to overcome this hurdle. Additionally, he highlighted the impressive performances of players like Abhishek Sharma and Mohammed Shami, who took 5-53 against Bangladesh, becoming the fastest bowler to reach 200 ODI wickets in terms of balls bowled.

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