In order to save players from falling ill during the forthcoming series in India, England have decided to take their own chef on the tour. England are scheduled to visit India later this month for a five-match Test series. The series is scheduled to start on January 25 in Hyderabad.
The chef is set to join the England team just before the first Test and his job will be to take care of the players’ nutrition. In 2022 too, England had taken a chef with them when they toured Pakistan and the tour turned out to be a historic one as they inflicted a 3-0 whitewash on the hosts. Incidentally, several England players as well as the chef had gone down with food poisoning on the eve of the first Test in Islamabad.
According to a report in The Telegraph, the English team-management has said that the decision to take a chef to India has nothing to do with not trusting hotels to provide clean facilities. The tourists have taken the decision in order to ensure that the players, especially those who refuse to eat spicy food, are eating nutritious meals rather than filling up on energy bars and pizzas.
England’s tour of India:
England will play five Tests in India. The first Test will be played in Hyderabad before the teams move to Vizag for the second game, starting from February 2. The third Test will begin on February 15 in Rajkot while Ranchi will host the fourth Test from February 23. The fifth and final Test will take place in Dharamsala from March 7.
The visitors have already announced their squad for the series. They are eyeing their first Test series win in India since the 2012-13 tour.
England squad:
Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.
India vs England 2024 Test series schedule:
1st Test: 25-29 January, Hyderabad
2nd Test: 2-6 February, Vizag
3rd Test: 15-19 February, Rajkot
4th Test: 23-27 February, Ranchi
5th Test: 7-11 March, Dharamsala
