After kickstarting their T20 World Cup 2022 in a blockbuster way by defeating arch-rivals in a last-over thriller, the Indian cricket team has reached Sydney, where they will play against the Netherlands in their next Super 12 stage game but if reports are to be believed then they have not received the warmest of welcomes, at least in terms of food. Rohit Sharma and his squad had an optional training session at the ground on Tuesday, which was attended by the likes of Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul. However, the Indian players decided to boycott lunch after being served ‘cold and inadequate’ food.
Yes, you read that right. The Indian players were left fuming due to the BAD-hospitality at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). “The food that was offered to Team India was not good. They were just given sandwiches and they have also told ICC that food provided after a practice session in Sydney was cold and not good,” a BCCI source was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
With the training session getting over nearly by afternoon, it was lunch time and perhaps the players were expecting a full-course meal. In protest, most of the top players decided to skip lunch at the venue as they headed back to the hotel for a meal of their choice.
The lunch menu at Sydney included fruits, falafel, and ‘make your own sandwich’ much to the players’ disappointment. The Indian players boycotted lunch at the SCG and raised their objection with the concerned officials following the practice session on Tuesday. Team India was clearly displeased with whatever they were served and raised a complaint for the same. While some players chose to have the falafel at the ground, others chose to have food back at the hotel.
“It’s not like any boycott… Some players did pick up fruits and falafel but everyone wanted to have lunch and hence they had food going back to the hotel,” a BCCI official privy to the development told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Notably, ICC is providing food and lodging during the T20 World Cup 2022, unlike in bilateral series, where the host association is in charge of hospitality.
“The problem is that the ICC isn’t providing any hot food after lunch. In a bilateral series, the host association is in charge of catering and they always provide hot Indian meals after a training session. But for ICC, the rule is the same for all countries,” the official further said.
He added: “You can’t just have a cold sandwich (not even grilled) with avocado, tomato and cucumber after two hours of training. That is plain and simple inadequate nourishment,”
