Rohit Sharma praises bowlers from Pakistan ahead of their Champions Trophy clash against Bangladesh, says 'got a little bit of time to...'

Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team is all set to start their campaign in the ongoing edition of the Champions Trophy 2025 with a clash against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, on February 20 (Thursday). Ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Indian batters are gearing up for the challenges they will face by practising at ICC Cricket Academy, Dubai. Team India is also getting help from some Pakistan-born bowlers who are with the Men in Blue as net bowlers.

Indian captain praises the bowlers

During the pre-match press conference of Team India's opening clash against Bangladesh, Rohit Sharma praised the Pakistan bowlers and said that they were really good. He also revealed having a chat with them during practice.

"Both Pakistani net bowlers were really good. Got a little bit of time to chat with them as well," said Rohit during press confernce on the eve of Bangladesh clash.

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Their campaign begins on February 20 against a struggling Bangladesh, and their second game is against co-hosts Pakistan, who boast a deadly fast-bowling team. Awais Ahmad, a left-arm pacer from Pakistan, gained widespread attention on social media on February 17 after Indian captain Rohit Sharma claimed that he was a "class" bowler who attempted to break his leg with those inswing yorkers. During the nets session, Awais disclosed that he attempted to imitate Shaheen Afridi, the strike bowler for Pakistan.

"When I was bowling, Virat was on strike, and later, he had a brief chat with Rohit. Rohit asked Virat which way I was swinging the ball. I heard Virat Bhai say that I was swinging the ball both ways. After that, he batted perfectly and didn’t make any mistakes in his stroke play,” Ahmad said in an interview with Sports Today.

"After the net session, Rohit appreciated me. I tried to deceive Rohit Bhai with yorkers, similar to how Shaheen Shah Afridi bowls to him. Later, Rohit said that I aimed for his foot, and that gave me confidence," he added.

India would like to kick off their campaign with a win over Bangladesh and as they are coming into this mega tournament after defeating England in the ODI series, they would like to use that momentum and kick start their campaign on a good note. Their next two games against Pakistan and New Zealand will also offer them much greater challenge.