Everyone eating same food, they may have contracted infection: Rajiv Shukla on Aus ‘A’ players falling sick

Kanpur, Oct 5 BCCI vice president Rajiv Shukla gave his verdict on players of the Australia A camp falling sick amid their one-day series against India A in Kanpur, saying that they might have attracted some sort of infection, and that there were no issues with the quality of food being provided.

Notably, four players, including the captain of the Australia-A camp, contracted stomach infections, causing a health scare.

Henry Thornton was admitted to Regency Hospital following a deterioration in his condition. The remaining three players were treated and released after standard medical assessments.

Team sources indicated the illness might be related to food eaten at the hotel, although neither hospital officials nor team management officially confirmed it.

Speaking to reporters in Kanpur, Shukla stated that all players are being served the same food from one of the finest establishments, and if food were the issue, then everyone would have been affected, not just a few players.

“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. Since a few players have fallen ill, they may have contracted an infection, and we are handling it.

“The issue arises because there aren't many hotels. We need 300 rooms in a five-star hotel, and that's not available. There is no international airport in the area that operates 24/7. Had better arrangements been in place, they would have gained an advantage.”

When asked why the issue occurs only during senior international or unofficial games and not during the Indian Premier League, Shukla mentioned that the BCCI does not have a say in such matters during the tournament, as all arrangements are managed by the franchises themselves.

“In the case of the IPL, everything depends on the franchises. They decide where the players stay, and it's entirely their choice, as the BCCI does not have any role in the decision-making. They choose a hotel of their preference,” Shukla further stated.

India-A had previously won the first unofficial ODI convincingly, but Australia-A evened the series at 1-1 with a straightforward nine-wicket win in the second ODI.

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