Pakistan's Shadab Khan 'blames' Hyderabadi biryani for poor fielding

That the Hyderabadi biryani, from the southern Indian city, is quite famous, is a well-known fact. People will vouch for the dish and say it is the best biryani in India, although the people from Lucknow, from the north of India, might tend to disagree.

Nonetheless, the Hyderabadi biryani, has had the Pakistan cricket team under a bit of a spell, so to speak, if what all-rounder Shadab Khan says, is anything to go by.

Pakistan, who were accorded a fantastic and heart-warming welcome in Hyderabad, their first trip to India in seven years, are preparing for the ODI World Cup which begins on Thursday.

Since their arrival in Hyderabad, which has become sort of a mini training base for the visitors, they have been overwhelmed with the love and support with players saying they got goosebumps.

The team also enjoyed a team dinner and took selfies with fans.

During their time in Hyderabad, the team played two warm-up matches, with the latest being against Australia on Tuesday. They had lost their first warm-up against New Zealand.

On Tuesday, Pakistan went down to the Australians by 14 runs.

After the match, popular Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle, who hails from the city, asked Shadab Khan about the famous Hyderabadi biryani and the all-rounder came up with a hilarious reply.

"We are eating it daily, and perhaps that is why we are getting a bit slow," he laughed and said.

Pakistan take on the Netherlands in their tournament opener in Hyderabad on Friday.

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