The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a sneak peek of the Rohit Sharma-led side's training session in the "chilling" weather in Mohali. In the video, the likes of Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh could be seen fighting the cold during the practice session ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan. Not only the players but also Indian team head coach Rahul Dravid was finding it hard to adjust to such a low temperature at the venue.
"Not that cold, huh?" Gill funnily says in the video, adding, "Actually, it's very cold. I think it would be around 7 degrees. I just keep my hands in my pocket but I would not advise that unless you have hand warmers in your pocket."
Meanwhile, Rinku said, "Bhai sahab bahut thand hai. Dekho abhi main domestic ka match khel ke aaya hoon Kerala mein. Wahan par aisi garmi thi, May-June waali [It's very cold. I just came back from Kerala after playing a domestic game (UP vs Kerala, Ranji Trophy) and it was extremely hot out there]."
"Gujarat mein jab sardi apne peak pe hoti hai, tab bhi itna thand nahi hota (Even when the winter in Gujarat is at its peak, it is not so cold as in Mohali)," said Axar.
Watch it all here:
Head coach Dravid on Wednesday admitted that Indian players will not get too many chances to play as a group ahead of the T20I World Cup, and said they needed to remain mentally flexible ahead of the marquee event in June.
The three-match series against Afghanistan beginning in Mohali on Thursday will be India's final T20I assignment ahead of the global showpiece.
In that context, Dravid said the management will also have to depend a bit on the IPL 2024 for the team selection.
(With PTI Inputs)