INDIA’S wealthy cricket team will bring a private chef to Australia this summer and have pulled out all stops to ensure their only runs come on the field.

The Indians are trying to ‘curry’ favour with their explicit demands for no spicy foods at Australia’s Test venues.
With their chef slaving in their hotel to prepare their favourite cuisine away from Test days, India’s cricketers have issued a list of food requirements to grounds from the Gabba to the SCG.
The Test action will be hot in the middle but India insists they want no spice in the dressingroom.
Only mild curries such as butter chicken are on India’s list of nutritional requirements, with the explicit instruction of “no spicy foods” written in large, red letters on their list of food demands.

Fresh red hot chillies are unlikely to be sighted on the Indian cricket team’s dietary requirements.

The tourists are also desperate to avoid their millionaire cricketers like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli becoming sick while in Australia.
They have issued Test venue caterers with pages of hygiene instructions, many of which are simply common sense.
Australia’s cricketers have long suffered Delhi belly while in the subcontinent but India’s elite cricketers won’t hear of having any food germs.
They have ordered that hot dishes must be served at more than 60 degrees Celsius, and cold food below five degrees Celsius, and detailed a long list of food hygiene requirements.
“All utensils should look clean and have no food or anything else visible,’’ the document states.
“All staff must wash their hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water.

Baked beans have been given the seal of approval, however.

“Utensils must be sanitised in a dishwasher at high heat and must be dried before use, with air drying the best method.’’
India’s list of nutritional requirements isn’t as extensive as when England was here last summer and wanted their dressingroom to resemble a Michelin Star restaurant for the Ashes.
The Poms demanded dishes such as piripiri breaded tofu with tomato salsa, a quinoa and cranberry breakfast bar, mungbean curry with spinach and pistachio and ginger biscotti.
India simply insist there must be no spicy or fried foods.
And they say no beef or pork related products should be used in cooking or food preparation, given their high number of vegetarian cricketers.

... as have scrambled eggs.

They have requested an all-day venue menu including chicken, roast lamb, smoked salmon, low-fat cheese and snacks such as raw nuts, muffins, energy bars and cookies.
The breakfast waiting for them when they arrive at Tests grounds should feature scrambled and poached eggs, grilled mushrooms, baked beans, yoghurt and whole fruits.
Lunch must include grilled chicken and fish, butter chicken (mild), steamed rice, subzi (dry vegetable curry) and steamed vegetables.
“Any foods not on the list must be approved by team management before they are provided to athletes,’’ the document reads.
Australia also sends food guidelines to opposition countries before overseas tours but they are generally simple and straightforward.