It turns out that post-practice meals included custom sandwiches with fruit and falafel.
It turns out that post-practice meals included custom sandwiches with fruit and falafel.
Cold sandwiches and falafel were not tasty enough for some in the Indian cricket team after an exhausting practice session and many players declined the offer, opting for food in their hotel rooms.
Indian players prefer hot food, which is considered a must after an intense training session, and was not part of the menu on Tuesday, which included fruits other than falafel (spicy mashed chickpeas or other pulses made into balls). Were.
The post-practice menu is understood to be the same for almost all teams.
The team management rested all the fast bowlers while all-rounder Hardik Pandya, batsman Suryakumar Yadav and spinner Axar Patel also did not take part in the optional training session.
The players sweating before the clash were probably hoping for a proper meal.
“It is not like a boycott. Some players took fruit and falafel, but everyone wanted to have lunch and so they ate after going back to the hotel.
“The problem is that ICC is not providing any hot food after lunch. In a bilateral series, the host association is in charge of the catering and they always provide hot Indian food after the training session. But the rule for ICC is same for all countries.
“After two hours of intense training you just can’t afford a cold sandwich (not even the grill) with avocado, tomato and cucumber. It is plain and simple inadequate nutrition,” said the source.
The ICC said that it is looking into the issue and promised to resolve the matter soon.
“Yes, the Indian team has told us about their issues with food after practice. We are trying to find out and the issue will be sorted out,” an ICC source told PTI.
Cricketer Virender Sehwag expressed his displeasure over the issue by tweeting. “Gone are the days when one used to think that western countries provide such good hospitality. India is way ahead of most western countries when it comes to providing hospitality of the highest standards,” he tweeted.
It will be interesting to see if BCCI arranges hot Indian food for the players in the next training session and if the problem is not resolved.
The Indian team will not practice on Wednesday as the designated practice area is around 40 km from Sydney and the players would prefer not to travel that far a day before the match.