Hardik Pandya may have failed to produce a repeat of his heroics against Pakistan in the Super 4 Asia Cup 2022 match but the India all-rounder said something that took the cake. Before the star of the India-Pakistan match on Sunday, Pandya was asked by Sanjay Manjrekar if he was a foodie and whether being in the UAE several times in the past few years, the India all-rounder has developed a taste for a certain cuisine or a particular set of restaurants, to which he replied by saying the following.
"I only go out for dinners. Otherwise, I have my chef with me who makes sure that all the meals which I should be checking, is taken care of. All the calorie count, all that needs to be done, he looks after it. When I go, then I explore all the restaurants as possible."
The part where Pandya said he has his own personal chef who travels with him everywhere he goes to keep track of his diet, left the onlookers in awe, especially the legendary Wasim Akram. The former Pakistan captain seemed rather surprised, in a good way, and put out a message for Pandya and his chef.
"I have a humble request for Hardik. Can you send your chef to me for one day so that he can cook me some nice food? I am quite sick of having the food at my hotel," Akram had said during the pre-match presentation in the presence of former India opener Gautam Gambhir and star presenter Mayanti Langer.
Pandya, who starred with both bat and ball in last Sunday's game against Pakistan, was rested in the game against Hong Kong before returning for the crucial Super 4 tie. However, the India all-rounder had an off day, picking up 1/44 from 4 overs and getting dismissed for a second-ball duck. With two must-win matches for India coming up – against Sri Lanka tonight and then against Afghanistan on Thursday, the team will look forward to Pandya to be back to his stunning all-round best.
{{/usCountry}}Pandya, who starred with both bat and ball in last Sunday's game against Pakistan, was rested in the game against Hong Kong before returning for the crucial Super 4 tie. However, the India all-rounder had an off day, picking up 1/44 from 4 overs and getting dismissed for a second-ball duck. With two must-win matches for India coming up – against Sri Lanka tonight and then against Afghanistan on Thursday, the team will look forward to Pandya to be back to his stunning all-round best.
{{/usCountry}}"I felt that it was important if I could get a couple of training sessions done, it would be helpful to come back and play with the same intensity like I did last Sunday. So very refreshed, focussed a lot on recovery, focussed a lot on putting that little block of training," added Pandya.