The India players were trying their best to deal with the cold weather in Mohali during the first T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday, January 11. The players were wearing extra layers of clothes as Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to field on a chilly evening in the North Indian city. | IND vs AFG, 1st T20I Scorecard |
The bowlers kept hand warmers in their pockets to make sure they were able to grip the ball well in the chilly conditions. India, as expected, were not sharp on the field. Shivam Dube dropped a chance at mid-off in the powerplay as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 50 runs for the opening partnership, albeit not at a good pace.
Axar Patel gave India the much-needed breakthrough in the 8th over when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was out stumped. The next wicket came soon after as all-rounder Shivam Dube sent Ibrahim Zadran walking back. Rohit Sharma, at short cover, took a sharp catch to send the opposition captain back to the pavilion.
Soon after taking the catch, Rohit Sharma was spotted taking the help of hot water bags to keep his hand warm as he was fielding in a close-in position. Rohit was seen taking the help of the support staff who ran into the ground during the break to keep his hands warm. Rohit was also spotted using hand warmers, which he kept in his pocket. It was 9 Degrees Celsius at 8 pm IST in the city in Punjab amid a cold wave in North India.
Rohit Sharma dropped a catch, a tough one, as he tried to leap into the night sky and take a one-handed stunner to dismiss Amzatullah Omarzai. However, the ball hit his hand and went down, denying Shivam Dube his second wicket.
India players battled extreme weather in Mohali during their training session at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on the eve of the first T20I. The players began by warming up and straightaway had a fielding session to get used to the conditions.
Head coach Rahul Dravid was wearing multiple layers of clothes as he oversaw the training session. Dravid even mentioned that it was “freezing” as the players also saw the funny side of having to put themselves through the paces on a chilly evening in Mohali.
Notably, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi joked that he was more scared of fielding than bowling in such conditions, highlighting the difficulty for bowlers to grip the ball when the hands get cold. Bishnoi struggled to keep it tight in Mohali in the first T20I as he gave away 34 runs in his first 3 overs.
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