London, Jan 7:
Firming up its off-field plans, England’s cricket team has decided to travel with the famous football club Manchester United’s chef on the upcoming tour of India, in order to ensure nutritious food for players who love the spicy stuff.
England will tour India for a five-match Test series starting this month, in what promises to be a cracker of a contest between the two heavyweights of world cricket.
Chef Omar Meziane in the past travelled with the team to Pakistan in December 2022 when Ben Stokes’ side whitewashed the home team.
England will start their series in Hyderabad, followed by matches in Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharamsala.
England last won a Test series in India in 2012.
In their most recent tour of the country in 2021, they started with a win in the first Test in Chennai but lost the next three.
With skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum in charge, the English would hope to get better results this time and continue the pair’s unbeaten record.
During a busy summer last year, England fought back from behind to level the Ashes against Australia 2-2.
Recently, England wicketkeeper batter Johnny Bairstow feels if India opt for turning pitches during the five-Test series later this month, “it will negate bit of their strength in their seam attack”.
England had lost the Test series 1-3 to India on spin-friendly tracks during their 2021 tour of the country.
“India can produce different pitches: it doesn’t have to turn. We’ve seen how potent their seam attack has been recently,” Bairstow told Sky Sports.
“Look, I’m sure the pitches will turn: it’s whether or not they’ll turn from day one, which potentially negates a bit of their strength in their seam attack. We know how strong they are,” he added.
