India captain Rohit Sharma humorously offered to take Axar Patel out for dinner after dropping an easy catch that denied the spinner a hat-trick during India’s Champions Trophy 2025 clash against Bangladesh. Despite the missed opportunity, India secured a comfortable six-wicket win while chasing a target of 228, with 21 balls to spare.
At the post-match presentation, Rohit candidly admitted his mistake. “I may take him (Axar) for dinner tomorrow. That was an easy catch, I should have taken that,” Rohit remarked with a smile. Reflecting on his own fielding standards, he added, “The standard I’ve set for myself for standing in the slips… That was a little disappointing, but these things happen. I do understand that. But again, the way these guys bowled set the game for us.”
The dropped catch occurred during a crucial spell when Axar Patel was on the verge of a rare hat-trick. Axar had already dismissed two Bangladeshi batters in consecutive deliveries and was all set to celebrate when Rohit spilled the straightforward chance.
Speaking about the moment, Axar maintained a positive outlook. “I was going to celebrate but then I turned around since it didn’t happen,” he said during the innings break. “These things happen, it’s part of the game.”
India’s bowlers had dominated the early stages of the match, reducing Bangladesh to 35 for 5. However, Towhid Hridoy and Jaker Ali fought back, building a resilient partnership. Rohit acknowledged their effort, saying, “There will be odd partnerships, credit to Hridoy and Jaker Ali, they played brilliantly to stitch that big partnership. And then with the bat, I thought we were very clinical.”
Despite the missed hat-trick chance, Axar’s overall performance, combined with strong batting from India, ensured a comfortable victory. Rohit’s light-hearted comment about dinner added a touch of humour to an otherwise competitive encounter, highlighting the camaraderie within the Indian team.
