Rohit Sharma and his men braved a severe cold evening on Wednesday (January 10) in Mohali as they trained for the opening T20I against Afghanistan, scheduled for Thursday (January 11) at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium.
Head coach Rahul Dravid was seen sporting multiple layers of clothes in addition to a woolen skullcap. The Indian players began training in the early evening on a day when dense fog and low mercury gripped the northern part of the country.
On the eve of the game, India leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi left former cricketer Pragyan Ojha in splits with a joke about the weather in Mohali.
While interacting with the official broadcasters, Bishnoi said he was more worried about his fielding than gripping the ball in such conditions.
Having played Punjab Kings in the IPL, the 23-year-old also pointed out the difficulty in spotting a high ball due to the low height of the floodlights at this venue.
"In the cold, I am more scared of fielding than bowling (gripping the ball) in these conditions. If you drop one, it’s done," Bishnoi told Sports18.
"It’s a bit tough fielding here because of the low level of the floodlights. You have to keep this mind and before the match, you need to train," he added.
Bishnoi has emerged as India's leading spinner in the shortest format since making his debut in February 2022. With 34 wickets to his name from 21 matches, the leggie has strengthened his claims for a place in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
Bishnoi offers more options to the team as he can bowl in all phases of a T20I innings, including the powerplay.
"100 percent. I remember having a word with you (Pragyan Ojha) about pace. Even in Ranji Trophy, I was trying to give the ball a bit of air. I tried it will the red ball. But T20 game is fast-paced, you get very time to change in T20Is. But, I have practised with the red ball. Hopefully, it will come to my help in T20I cricket," he said.
When asked if being an all-phase bowler put pressure on him, Bishnoi replied: "Yeah, there is a bit of pressure when the captain trusts you so much. But, it’s all about trusting yourself. The captain trust you and you need to trust yourself as much. So the preparations in the nets helps, the preparations based on match scenarios helps."
