Favourite food items of top Indian, Pakistani cricketers

While both Pakistanis and Indians cannot wait for the highly-anticipated cricket clash between the two teams on August 28  in Asia Cup, Khaleej Times found out the favourite foods of star cricketers from both teams.

Food holds a lot of significance in the sub-continent and is one of the things that brings Pakistan and India closer. Following are the favourite foods of some cricketers in the team:

Virat Kohli

Former Indian skipper who has all eyes on him this Asia Cup takes small meals throughout the day. On his Instagram, he shared that his diet included lots of vegetables, eggs, and lentils, among other healthy food items.

His comfort food, he said, was chole bhature. 

Mohammad Rizwan

Wicketkeeper and batter Mohammad Rizwan loves Kabuli Pulao. The rice dish has lamb, carrots, and raisins. It comes from Afghanistan's capital Kabul. The pulao is very famous in Peshawar, where Rizwan comes from.

Rohit Sharma

For Rohit  Sharma, also known as Hitman , Vada Pav tops the list of best foods.

It is a vegetarian dish which comes from Sharma's place of birth Maharashtra.

The opener revealed on Instagram that he ate Vada Pav every single day in the beginning of his career.

Babar Azam

Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam cannot live without biryani. The prolific batter who ranked number one in ODIs and T20s said he maintains a strictly healthy routine which is why he takes biryani moderately.

It is a diet other Pakistani players also follow since former captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who now coaches, ordered a ban on oily food.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja seems to be a foodie since he has his own multi-cuisine restaurant. However, his favourite food is  Kathiyawadi food from his hometown in Gujarat. 

During his time off, a Kathiyawadi thali is what he enjoys the most.

Imam-ul-Haq

The left-handed opener is quite conscious about his diet. Reportedly, the batter only takes fruits and yoghurt for lunch.

As a youngster, however, he enjoyed many foods in his hometown Multan. He loves Multan's world-famous Sohan Halwa.

"I still remember having Gol Gappay," he said in an interview.

Rishabh Pant

Many have said that Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli are quite similar. Their coach says even their emotional reaction to loss is the same.

Things get even more interesting when it comes to food as both the players have the same favourite dish.

Pant also loves to have chole bhature.

Shadab Khan

All-rounder Shadab Khan shared that his favourite dish was achar gosht. It is a meat curry which is cooked with pickles and is quite popular for its distinct rich flavour.

He revealed his favourite food on Twitter during a Q/A session.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya, otherwise known for his fearless batting, is weak in front of khichdi.

Pandya has lots of proteins for breakfast with eggs, chickens and veggies but loves to eat khichdi.

Fakhar Zaman

Former navy man Fakhar Zaman loves cheesy pasta on his cheat days. While he is very health-conscious and takes care of his diet strictly, he would love a bowl of pasta on and off.