Served cold sandwiches and falafel after training session, Indian cricketers opt to eat at hotel
Sydney (PTI): Cold sandwiches and falafel after an exhausting practice session were just not appetising enough for some in the Indian cricket team and several players refused the offering, opting for meals in their hotel rooms instead.
The Indian players prefer hot food, which is considered a must after an intense training session, and on Tuesday it was not part of the menu, which included fruits apart from falafel (spiced mashed chickpeas or other pulses formed into balls).
It is understood that the after-practice menu is almost the same for all the teams.
The team management had rested all the fast bowlers while all-rounder Hardik Pandya, batter Suryakumar Yadav and spinner Axar Patel also did not take part in the optional training session.
The players, who sweated it out ahead of the clash, were probably expecting a proper meal.
"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 after going back to the hotel," a BCCI official privy to the development told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
"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.
"You can't just have a cold sandwich (not even grilled) with avocado, tomato and cucumber after two hours of intense training. That is plain and simple inadequate nourishment," the source added.
The ICC said it is looking into the issue and promised to sort the matter soon.
"Yes, the Indian team has told us about their issues with the food after practice. We are trying to figure out and the issue will be sorted," an ICC source told PTI.
It will be interesting to see if the BCCI steps in and arranges hot Indian meals for the players at the next training session, if the issue is not resolved.
The Indian team won't practice on Wednesday since the designated practice area is about 40kms from Sydney and the players would prefer not to travel that far, a day before the match.
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UP minister calls for renaming Agra's Shahjahan Garden after Ahilyabai Holkar
Lucknow, Apr 6 (PTI): Uttar Pradesh minister Baby Rani Maurya has urged Shahjahan Garden in Agra be renamed after the Malwa Kingdom queen Ahilyabai Holkar.
The Women Welfare Minister made the urge in a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
"Yes, I wrote to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ji on the issue and my proposal to name the Shahjahan Garden after progressive queen Ahilyabai Holkar who did a lot for women's empowerment. It would soon be a reality as our governments have always promoted women's empowerment," Maurya told PTI.
Shahjahan Garden is a Mughal-era green space between the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in the Agra district.
Maurya said she "strongly identified" with Ahilyabai Holkar and has at her heart the issue of women's empowerment.
"So I feel that the renaming of this garden that draws people from across the globe would inspire the masses, women in particular … there is nothing wrong in such renaming," the Agra Dehat MLA said.
Maurya said instructions have been issued to look into the Shahjahan Garden renaming.
Over the years, UP has seen a litany of similar demands, involving invariably a Mughal-era nomenclature for replacement.
On March 29, posters demanding renaming Muzaffarnagar to 'Laxminagar' came up in the western UP district.
Calls have been made to rename Aligarh as Harigarh, Mainpuri as Mayanpuri, Sambhal as Prithviraj Nagar or Kalki Nagar, Sultanpur as Kushbhavanpur, and Ghazipur to Gadhipuri.
The opposition parties have decried these moves as tactics to divert people's attention from pressing issues.
The UP government has already renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj, and Faizabad as Ayodhya.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sharvendra Bikaram Singh said it has become a "fashion" among BJP leaders to make such demands.
"Its leaders make such demands because the BJP has failed. The government should instead focus on the real development issues that can benefit the common man," Singh said.
