Team India has reached Sydney for the 2nd match in the T20 World Cup.
ANI, citing BCCI sources, has revealed that team India “did not do practice sessions” in Sydney.
India has been offered a practice venue in Blacktown, a suburb that is 42 km away from the team’s hotel.
Further, team India has also complained about the quality of food offered to them at the hotel. ANI tweeted, “They were just given sandwiches and they have also told ICC that food provided after the practice session in Sydney was cold and not good.”
Vimal Kumar, an independent journalist travelling with Team India, told The Australia Today, “Number of players were not happy about the hotel arrangements in Melbourne. However, team management brushed it aside as one of the hiccups in such a busy schedule.”
Mr Kumar addeds, “I booked my Uber cab to get to Blacktown ground but I was surprised to know that the Indian team was not going to practice today.”
When Mr Kumar inquired, his sources in team management briefed him about the “cold sandwiches” and Indian players’ unwillingness to attend practice sessions 42 km away from their hotel.
As per rough estimates, this distance takes almost one hour to travel in Sydney traffic.
Mr Kumar told The Australia Today that a senior staff member said:
“Sub-standard hotel accommodation, cold food and far away practice ground are among the odds team India is facing in ICC T20 world Cup.”
A highly placed source within T20 organising administration has told The Australia Today that there has been no issue with any hotels team India has used or will be using in the next few weeks.
“All hotels arranged for team India are five-star and among the best in the town.”
He also claimed that these media reports originated in India about accommodation issues had no basis.
However, he stressed that the organising committee is more than ready to resolve any issue raised by any team 24/7.
The Australia Today understands that the ICC T20 world cup organising committee has already engaged an external supplier to support “above and beyond” food needs that were not on the “normal” menu.
Fresh off their thrilling last-ball win over rivals Pakistan, India will play the Netherlands on October 27 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
After losing to Bangladesh in their opening Super 12 fixture, the Netherlands will be aiming to fight tooth and nail against India just to keep their T20 tournament hopes alive.
As part of the same Super 12, both India and the Netherlands will play three more matches with the top two teams in the group progressing to the semi-finals.
Both BCCI and ICC are yet to issue an official statement regarding team India’s complaint.
