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Watch: From butter chicken to thali; Sri Lankan, South African cricketers on their favourite dishes in India

The Sri Lanka cricket team will kick off their World Cup 2023 journey with a match against South Africa on Saturday, Oct 7

Published: Fri 6 Oct 2023, 1:28 PM

Updated: Fri 6 Oct 2023, 3:27 PM

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The Sri Lanka cricket team will kick off their World Cup 2023 journey with a match against South Africa on Saturday, October 7, in Delhi.

Ahead of their World Cup opener, Sri Lankan cricketers were found in good spirits while talking about their favourite food items during an interaction with the International Cricket Council (ICC). When asked about a dish that he was “looking forward to eating in India,” Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka promptly replied, "thali".


“I would like to taste thali again. Gujarati thali,” was Shanaka’s response. While the Sri Lanka captain opted for a vegetarian dish, opening batter Dimuth Karunaratne picked, "chicken tikka".

Sri Lanka pacer Matheesha Pathirana, on the other hand, picked the delectable north Indian combo of "naan with butter chicken". Pathirana may feel singled out in the Sri Lanka squad for his food preferences, but he will certainly find plenty of supporters in the opposition South African dugout.

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When asked to choose a dish the Proteas were planning to eat during the World Cup in India, butter chicken emerged as the unanimous preference. “It’s always butter chicken,” was South Africa wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen’s unequivocal answer.

Klaasen even went on to reveal that they have a butter chicken group going in the team. Big hitter David Miller jokingly suggested that the South African cricket team should be sponsored by a butter chicken company.

“It is a cliche, because the South African cricket team should get a sponsor of a butter chicken company. Because it is a lot of butter chickens that are taken down in the evenings,” Miller was heard saying in a video shared by ICC on Instagram. Pacer Lungi Ngidi, on the other hand, had no qualm in admitting, “My first night, I went straight for the butter chicken. I mean it is a given.”

Another South African spinner, Tabraiz Shamsi, who is of Indian origin, explained the reason behind his teammates’ love for butter chicken. Shamsi said that many South African cricketers have not even tasted other Indian dishes and that is probably why they just want to stick to butter chicken.

“I think we need to have a taste test for them. Just have a little spread out and get the boys accustomed to some of the other local cuisines,” the 33-year-old explained.

After conceding a defeat at the hands of India in the Asia Cup final, Sri Lanka will be determined to deliver an impressive World Cup show this time. South Africa, on the other hand, will enter the World Cup having defeated Australia in their last ODI series.

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