'Asked the umpire if I can wear a glove' - Axar Patel jokes about chilly weather in Mohali during first T20I

India completed a six-wicket win over Afghanistan in the first T20I of three-match series on Thursday, January 11 at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali. After being put in to bat first, Afghanistan posted 158/5 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, India chased down the target in 17.3 overs as Shivam Dube starred with the bat scoring 60* (40).

With the ball, Axar Patel was the pick of the bowlers for India as he scalped 2/23 in four overs dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah. However, the left-arm spinner had to battle through the cold conditions in Mohali as he struggled to grip the ball. Speaking after the game, he even joked about bowling by wearing gloves on his right hand, however, the umpire denied his request.

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"(Maine umpire se poocha tha ki main ek haath me gloves pehen ke bowling kar lu, lekin unhone mana kar diya) I had asked the umpire if I can wear a glove in one hand, but he said no," said Patel during the mid-innings chat with Murali Kartik.

“I wasn't feeling the ball, it was very cold. We knew it was winter and would be cold, but I was only thinking about my bowling, how to put pressure on them. There was a lot of dew, but I focused on my accuracy,” he added.

Notably, the 29-year-old has been in fine form in T20Is since 2021 having scalped 38 wickets from 34 innings at an average of 23.78 and an economy of 7.53. He recently scalped 3/16 in the fourth T20I against Australia in Raipur and helped India win the series.

Shivam Dube impressed with his all-round show

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Coming back to the match, Shivam Dube was awarded Player of the Match for his all-round show as he picked 1/9 in his two-over spell accounting for captain Ibrahim Zadran. The southpaw further batted through the innings coming in at number four and played a brilliant innings of 60* off 40 smashing five fours and two sixes.

Meanwhile, having taken a 1-0 lead in the series, India will look to seal the series in the second T20I on Sunday, January 14 at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore.