The India cricketers braved a cold winter evening on Wednesday in Mohali as they trained for the first of a 3-match T20I series against Afghanistan, starting January 11. Head coach Rahul Dravid was wearing multiple layers of clothes and was seen sporting a woollen skullcap while the batters were thankful for the comfort of the gloves.

Ravi Bishnoi cracked up former India spinner Pragyan Ojha with a joke about the weather in Mohali during his interaction with the official broadcasters on the eve of the first T20I in Mohali. The India players began training in the early evening on a day when dense fog and low mercury gripped North India.

The young leg-spinner said he was more worried about his fielding on Thursday than gripping the ball in such conditions. Bishnoi is part of the 16-man squad that will take on Afghanistan in the 3-match series, which will be India’s last T20 international assignment before the World Cup in June. The former Punjab Kings spinner, who has the experience of playing in the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, also highlighted the difficulty in spotting a high ball due to the low height of the floodlights at the iconic venue.

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India will take on Afghanistan in the first T20I in Mohali on Thursday with the match scheduled to get underway from 7 pm local time.

“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.

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Bishnoi has evolved into India’s leading spinner in T20Is since making his debut in February 2022. With 34 wickets in 21 matches, the leg-spinner, who relies on googlies, is high on the priority list in terms of selection for the World Cup.

Bishnoi has given the team management more options by being versatile and bowling in all phases of a T20I innings, including the powerplay. The leg-spinner shone in a T20I series against Australia at home last year, picking up 9 wickets in 5 matches.

“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,” Bishnoi said.

Bishnoi is also heading into the T20I series against Afghanistan after having impressed in a Ranji Trophy game for Gujarat against Tamil Nadu earlier in the month. He picked up 5 wickets, including a 4-wicket haul in the first innings.

Does being an all-phase bowler add pressure?

“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,” Bishnoi said.

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