BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla has cleared the air on the food poisoning incident involving Australia A players, stating that if there had been a genuine issue with the hotel food, Indian players would have fallen ill too. He suggested that the four Australian cricketers may have contracted the infection from another source.
The incident occurred ahead of the second unofficial ODI between India A and Australia A. Australian medium-pacer Henry Thornton had to be admitted to Regency Hospital after his condition worsened, though he was later stabilised.
The health scare raised questions about the quality of food and accommodation provided to the players. However, Shukla downplayed the concerns, emphasising that the food was from a reputed source.
Speaking to media, Shukla said, “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,"
He added that the infection could have come from another source.Shukla said, “Since a few players have fallen ill. Idhar udhar se koi infection aa gaya hoga (They may have contracted an infection) and we are handling it. The issue arises because there are not many hotels,".
India A clinch the series 2-1
Despite the off-field drama, India A, led by Shreyas Iyer, went on to win the three-match unofficial ODI series 2-1, beating Australia A by two wickets in the third and final match at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur, on Sunday.
Prabhsimran Singh starred with a brilliant 102 off 68 balls, while Riyan Parag (62 off 55) and captain Shreyas Iyer (62 off 58) provided strong support. Chasing a target of 318, India A got over the line with 24 balls to spare.
Vipraj Nigam and Arshdeep Singh remained unbeaten on 24 and 7 respectively to guide the team home. Earlier, India A had won the first ODI, while Australia A bounced back to take the second.
