No Beef, Please! BCCI Asks Cricket Australia to ‘Indianise’ Menu for Indian Cricket Team
According to a source, Ishant Sharma struggled during Indian cricket team’s previous tour of of Australia because the food was not to his liking (representative image: IANS).
An advance inspection team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which visited Australia to check preparations for the upcoming tour, has asked hosts Cricket Australia to omit beef from the menu planned for Virat Kohli and Co.
The two-member inspection team put forth a few suggestions to CA about the dietary requirements of the players, insisting that the menu should be ‘Indianised’, and that since the team has a few vegetarians, more fruits and greens would be appreciated.
According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the BCCI team found ‘beef’ dishes on the menu planned for the Indian cricket team set to tour Down Under from November. They asked it to be removed and also to mention the omission as a clause in the tour Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed by the two Boards.
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A source was quoted in the report, who said in the previous tours, the Indian players complained about the bland nature of food served to them in Australia. Apparently, in the previous tour, Ishant Sharma struggled immensely as the food was not to his liking.
“Players often complain about the blandness of the food served in Australia,” the source said. “There are few vegetarians in the team who really struggle at the grounds. The inspection team has also roped in an Indian restaurant in Australia to supply curries to the boys (sic).”
The source cited that the dietary request was made because the players have become more professional about such matters. While earlier, the players would indulge in junk food such as cheese burgers, the current crop stick to a strict regimen as well as diet, he said. So, one of the mandates of the inspection team was to ensure such matters are resolved and things are in place for the team when they land.
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However, BCCI’s insistence on beef to be excluded from the menu could have something to do with an incident that transpired during the England tour earlier this year.
During the tour, which ended in August, BCCI tweeted from its official handle, posting a picture of the Indian cricket team players at lunch at the Lord’s. The lunch menu had ‘braised beef pasta’ on it, and that created quite an uproar and trolling on Twitter.
The cricket-loving Indian fans were more upset about beef being in the menu than with the thrashing Kohli’s side was enduring at the hands of the England cricket team. BCCI seems to be keen to avoid such social media storms while Down Under.
The Indian tour of Australia begins on November 21. The visitors will play three T20Is, four Tests and three ODIs in the long tour that ends on January 18.
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