India cricket team (AP Photo)

This story was originally published in Mumbai Mirror on November 1, 2018.

An advance party from the BCCI that travelled to Australia two weeks ago to prep for the forthcoming November tour, has recommended to Cricket Australia that beef be struck off the Indian team’s menu.

Furthermore, the two-member reconnaissance team wants this clause to be included in the Memorandum of Understanding between Board of Control for Cricket in India and Cricket Australia.

This request is particularly interesting given that during Team India's last tour to England which ended this August, BCCI's official twitter handle had tweeted a photo of the team's lunch menu during the Test match at Lord's that included Braised beef pasta. "A well-earned lunch for #TeamIndia," the tweet mentioned.

That innocuous tweet however, had unleashed a storm of protest from several cricket lovers back in India who were more upset with what the team was having for lunch than the fact of their team losing so comprehensively.

It seems the BCCI has chosen to play it safe and have no beef with the fans.

India play three T20Is, four Tests, and three ODIs in Australia from November 21 to January 18. With TV coverage going beyond the grounds and into the players' lunch rooms, and journalists having access to the menus served at the grounds, the last thing the BCCI and Team India need is a debate on what

Indian players should and shouldn't eat.

The BCCI inspection team that travelled to Australia to ensure smooth travel, practice, and dietary arrangements for Team India, have told the hosts Cricket Australia that the team will appreciate more vegetarian items on the menu, enough supply of fruits, and it will help if preparations were 'Indianised'.

A source close to the inspection team told Mirror, "Players often complain about the blandness of food served in Australia. There are a few vegetarians in the team who really struggle at the grounds. The inspection team has also roped in an Indian restaurant in Australia to supply curries to the boys." The source pointed out how paceman Ishant Sharma , especially struggled during the last tour to Australia.

Team India sources said that players now pay as much attention to their diet as they do to the cricketing aspects. "Earlier, players would even consume cheeseburgers while on tour. It has all changed. Even if they indulge once-in-a-while, they are a highly disciplined lot during a series, which basically means minimum red meat," the source said.

Messages and calls to the recce team remained unanswered.

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