Rohit Sharma's Apology with a Gesture as Dropped Catch Spoils Axar Patel's Maiden ODI Hat-Trick

India spinner Axar Patel was on the verge of making history at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. Only four India bowlers have managed to achieve a hat-trick in ODI cricket, with one of them being a spinner (Kuldeep Yadav - twice), but none of them have done so at a Champions Trophy event. The only instance of a bowler picking up a hat-trick in the history of the 50-over ICC extravaganza was Jerome Taylor of West Indies back in 2006. Axar had the opportunity to add his name to this exclusive list, but unfortunately, captain Rohit Sharma dropped a straightforward catch at first slip during India's Group A match against Bangladesh, denying him the chance to create history.

On the second ball of the ninth over, Axar, into his first over in the match, dismissed Tanzid Hasan. The left-hander hung back against the flat ball on a length wide of off to push it through the off side but got a thick outside edge before wicketkeeper KL Rahul completed the formalities. He dismissed the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim on the next ball for a golden duck. The batter lunged forward to block an in-drifter, but the ball spun sharply past the blade, trimmed the shoulder of the bat and landed safely into the keeper's mitts.

Also Read: India vs Bangladesh Live Score Champions Trophy

On the hat-trick ball, Rohit put two slips and a leg slip in place, as Axar dished out a similar ball against Jaker Ali. The ball took a thick outside edge and went straight towards Rohit at first slip, but the regulation catch was put down. The 37-year-old was in disbelief and hit the turf repeatedly in anger three to four times before apologising to Axar with folded hands.

Watch Rohit's dropped catch here:

India's impactful show in Powerplay

India lost the toss, but Rohit said the team was looking to field first nonetheless in Dubai. The bowlers executed the plans to perfection, as the two-time champions reduced Bangladesh to five down for just 39 runs in the powerplay.

Mohammed Shami drew first blood, picking up two quick wickets, dismissing Soumya Sarkar and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. He now has 20 wickets in ICC ODI matches since 2015, the second-most after Trent Boult, at an incredible strike rate of 19.8. Harshit Rana picked the other wicket, while Axar scalped two.

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news along with India vs Bangladesh live Score. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }