Towhid Hridoy's Maiden ODI Ton Goes in Vain

Towhid Hridoy's innings of real resilience and character in Bangladesh's Champions Trophy match against India was ultimately in vain, thanks to fine performances from Mohammed Shami and Shubman Gill.

Bangladesh were struggling at 35/5 when Hridoy and Jaker Ali scripted a brilliant comeback by putting on a record-breaking partnership worth 154-run for the sixth wicket. The partnership, which lasted until the 42nd over, left all the responsibility on Hridoy's shoulders, who decided to come out of his shackles and get into the aggressive mode.

Hridoy got to his second fifty in only 29 balls, with three fours and two sixes, but cramped up when he reached 88 while diving for a single. He never looked comfortable after that, despite bringing up the three-figure score.

Hridoy credited his captain's decision to bat first and insisted that despite losing their way early on, they made a good comeback. He also backed his own batting, saying that if he hadn't cramped, he could have scored 20 to 30 more runs.

"We were clear that what we wanted to do and we planned to bat (first). Just because we lost early wickets this thing happened, but even after losing those early wickets the way we came back, me and Jaker, and if we could have finished off the game we could have reached 270. And at that scenario, the game would have been different," Hridoy said.

Despite the loss, Hridoy remains optimistic about Bangladesh's chances in their remaining matches against Pakistan and New Zealand, which will both be played in Rawalpindi. "We know Pakistan's conditions will be different and from here we will come back stronger."