Ever wonder why our Players get out just before and just after lunch, most of the time?!
Read on!
Diary: Delicious mouthful for players [IANS ]
**MOHALI: **Italian pasta, murg tariwala, mutton rogan josh, paneer makhani, gobi mattar - these are some of the mouth-watering treats being dished out in the Indian and Pakistani dressing rooms during the first Test here.
If the pre-lunch menu had idli sambar, sandwiches, eggs to order, Italian pasta, mini cutlets and assorted bread rolls, the lunch consisted of two parts: salads and the main course.
The salads included garden fresh salad and bean sprout salad, while the main course had murg tariwala, mutton rogan josh, paneer makhani, gobi mattar, aloo dum Banarasi, dal bukhara, steamed rice, assorted Indian breads and set curd besides achar, papad and chutney.
There were also some continental dishes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, and, of course, desserts and puddings.
And soft beverages were being served throughout the five days of the match at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, and high tea along with snacks that were allowed by the physiotherapists of both teams.
**Cricketers and families **
The wives and families of a few Indian cricketers were also here to watch the match. Besides Aarti Sehwag, Sailaja Laxman and Vijeta Dravid, there were the parents of Irfan Pathan and wicketkeeper Dinesh Kaarthick.
The parents of Pathan, who had also travelled to Pakistan last year for the historic series in March-April, and Kaarthick shared the table at a dinner Friday night and hit it off instantly.
If Pathan’s parents remained as friendly as before, Kaarthick’s were no less amiable. The dapper wicketkeeper’s father V. Krishnakumar said he lives mostly in the Middle East where he works with the Vodafone telephone company. He, however, follows the progress of his 19-year-old son who has given a good account of himself in Test cricket and seems to have cemented a place in the team.
**Jalebi and rabri **
It seems that the Pakistani team’s managers have a special liking for jalebi and rabri, an Indian speciality, as desserts. If Shaharyar Khan, who was the manager of the Pakistani team that last toured India in 1999 and now chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), immensely enjoyed jalebi and rabri at a dinner during the opening tour match at Gwalior then, present manager Salim Altaf loved it Friday night.
When pointed out that Khan had also enjoyed the dish thoroughly, Altaf, a former Test medium pacer, smiled and said it was just a coincidence.