BCCI breaks silence after Australian players fall sick due to hotel food; one hospitalised

BCCI breaks silence after several Australian players fall ill due to hotel food. (Photo: X)

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla broke his silence on the hot top of Australia A players falling sick amid their ODI series against India A in Kanpur. He suggested that the players have got in contact with some kind of infection and it had nothing to do with the food quality being provided to them. Four players including the captain of the Australia A camp fell sick. Henry Thornton was admitted in a hospital due to his condition and the remaining 3 are receiving standard medical care.

Sources from the team suggested that the players fell sick due to the food provided at the hotel they were staying, however, nor team management or the hospital have confirmed the cause.

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Shukla cleared the speculation and stated that the food being served was from one of the finest establishments and if food was the issue then every player would have got sick.

"If there had been an issue with the food, all players, including the Indian players, would have fallen sick. It must have been something else. They are being fed food from one of the finest hotels, Hotel Landmark; the food is good, and everyone is eating the same. Since a few players have fallen ill, they may have contracted an infection, and we are handling it," Shukla was quoted as saying by IANS.

"The issue arises because there aren't many hotels. We need 300 rooms in a five-star hotel, and that's not available. There is no international airport in the area that operates 24/7. Had better arrangements been in place, they would have gained an advantage."

"In the case of the IPL, everything depends on the franchises. They decide where the players stay, and it's entirely their choice, as the BCCI does not have any role in the decision-making. They choose a hotel of their preference," Shukla further stated.

India A had registered a convincing victory in the first unofficial ODI, but Australia A bounced back strongly in the second match, securing a comfortable nine-wicket win to level the series 1-1.