Cricketers have a strong regime which they need to follow to stay healthy and fit. Usually, they have to leave out food from their diet chart which has excess fat and calories. Unlike common people, they don’t have the luxury of checking into a restaurant and digging into a plate of Biryani or munching on a cheesy burger.
But then again they are human beings and in the rarest of rare occasions, they too enjoy one of their favourite dishes with permission from their dietician off course. In this article, we at Sportskeeda will look at 5 international superstars and their favourite dishes.
#5 Sourav Ganguly
For the man who had the courage to take off his jersey and wave it on the Lords’ balcony nothing less than some royal biryani cuts it as a favourite dish. Yes, Ganguly loves his biryani but is choosy about the place he orders from. Only a few of Kolkata’s elite eating houses makes that list.
Rumour has it that during his playing days while he was in another city he had a few packets flown to him. He also has a special chef from Raja Bazar who occasionally dons the cook’s hat to cook Biryani for him.
But being a Bengali he likes the traditional dishes too. Among his favourites are the Aloo Poshto and the Chingri Macher Malaikari which are both delectable regional food. Ganguly also likes sweets and the rosogolla tops his list.
#4 Kevin Pietersen
The out-of-favour England batsman who was one of their batting talismans once loves his homemade lasagne and wine. The 36-year-old also visit’s the Brinkley’s whenever he is London to enjoy shepherd's pie, burgers and salads at the eatery. Now you know where he gets all his energy from.
In a column for the Guardian which was published in 2008, he wrote,” The menu at Brinkley's is simple - I like the shepherd's pie, burgers and salads - and the portions are a good size so you don't leave wanting a McDonald's on your way home. I can eat whatever I want because I train so much...”
Pietersen is still very active in T20 leagues around the world and only a few days back he was a part of the Melbourne Stars in the Australian Big Bash League. He also does a lot of live commentaries these days.
#3 Chris Gayle
Now the burly West Indies star lives a very colourful life off the field as well. Gayle has a huge mansion which has a strip pole inside the bedroom. On the food front, he has quite a taste too as he loves ackee and salt fish. He loves his beer too.
Occasionally he also enjoys a plateful of pasta and cakes. But for Gayle, his diet has never been a problem as he still now flaunts his six packs around.
Presently the Jamaican star is plying his trade in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) where he is representing the Karachi Kings. Previously he was in Bangladesh featuring in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for the Vikings.
#2 MS Dhoni
Unlike his patience on the field, Dhoni loses it when he finds himself in front of his favourites chicken butter masala and Kebabs. But can we blame him? His palate is like a true Indian foodie so much so that even his pizza is a variation of the chicken tikka, the chicken tikka pizza.
The World Cup-winning former India captain also digs into gajar ka halwa and kheer when he craves for sweets.
However, Dhoni is seldom allowed to have the dishes he likes. Being a wicket-keeper batsman in limited overs cricket for team India he has to be at the top of his fitness. Therefore he follows a strict routine where he keeps himself away from foods with extra calories.
#1 Virat Kohli
It is not easy giving up on the foods you loved but then Virat Kohli did that to get fitter and quicker between the wickets.
According to his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma who spoke to CricketNext a few days back, Kohli wanted to lead by example.
“Kohli once told me, if I don’t set the benchmark as captain, who else will? Even as the world looks on in wonder, I know the boy behind the man. He used to gorge on butter chicken, rolls and all sorts of fast food. But today, it finds no place in his diet,” Sharma said.
But then again every cricketer has their favourite dishes which time and again they want to dig into. For Kohli, it is ‘Sushie’. As a proud Punjabi, he also loves his butter chicken and Parathas but recent reports say he has decided to give up on them too.
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