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A lot has changed in Indian cricket since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia concluded. Team India's return home from an unfulfilling series in Australia saw the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issue a 10-point diktat, restricting certain activities in the team. One of the restrictions put in place was barring players from bringing their own personal chefs, stylists, and staff on overseas tours. After the Indian team landed in Dubai for the ICC Champions Trophy campaign, however, Virat Kohli found a unique way to get his hands on the desired delicacies.
According to a report in the Times of India, Kohli had a food packet delivered to him, not long after he arrived at the training venue. While personal chefs have been disallowed by the BCCI, the talismanic Indian batter found another way to meet his needs on overseas tours. Kohli is said to have spoken to a local team manager at the venue. The need was understood in extreme detail and then, the manager arrived with a packet from a popular food joint.
"It had had few boxes of Kohli's post-session meal. While the others packed their kit bags, Kohli was refueling and even saved a box for the road." read the report.
The BCCI 10-point diktat had said: "Players can no longer bring personal staff like chefs, security guards, or assistants on tours unless explicitly approved by the BCCI."
Be it the team's players or support staff, everyone would need to adjust to the new protocols set by the BCCI. Even India's head coach Gautam Gambhir, who had his Personal Assistant accompany him n item team hotel, team bus and other areas, has been asked to stay at another hotel.
It was because of the board's diktat that the veteran players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, etc. had to return to playing Ranji Trophy. Though it wasn't the most fruitful outing for Rohit and Virat, the BCCI has made its intentions of a domestic cricket push clear with the new set of rules.
In Team India's first nets session in Dubai, Virat was reportedly the first one to hit the net. He and Rohit faced pace bowling duo of Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh. The likes of Hardik Pandya and Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, went berserk in the nets, so much so that the support staff and others were asked to remain warry of balls coming in.
Team India open their campaign in the Champions Trophy on February 20 against Bangladesh before taking on their arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-profile contest on February 23. All of India's matches in the Champions Trophy have been scheduled to take place in Dubai.