Virat Kohli manages to get special food in Dubai after BCCI puts ban on personal chefs

At the ICC Academy in Dubai, India's Champions Trophy training session got underway on Sunday. Before the action shifts to the weekend for the tantalizing match against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium, the Rohit Sharma-led team will kick off their campaign on Thursday against Bangladesh in their Group A match at the same stadium.

Virat Kohli manages to arrange special food

As per the Times of India report, after India's exhausting three-hour practice session, Virat Kohli was spotted chatting with the team's local manager approximately fifteen minutes prior to the arrival of the team bus. The latter came back with a paper bag full of food from a well-known restaurant.

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"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.

BCCI's rule on personal chefs

Following the team's dismal showing on the Australia tour, the BCCI recently issued a 10-point diktat. One of those concerns was that "unless specifically authorized by the BCCI, players can no longer bring personal staff like chefs, security guards, or assistants on tours."

India chose to play its Champions Trophy matches in Dubai as part of a hybrid format after reaching an agreement with the ICC following months of back and forth between the two boards, which even included the PCB threatening to withdraw from the tournament. This also means that the venue for the final will be decided only if India qualify for the championship match.

Pakistan and New Zealand will play the inaugural match at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 19, marking the start of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Along with Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand, India has been assigned to Group A. India will play their first match against Bangladesh on February 20.

India's final match is against New Zealand on Sunday, March 2, and the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan match is scheduled on Sunday, February 23. In the previous two Champions Trophy tournaments, the Men in Blue advanced to the finals and won in 2013 and 2017, respectively, before losing to Pakistan in the championship match.