BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has issued a clarification on four Australia A cricketers falling ill after consuming food from a hotel in Kanpur, where they are playing 50-over matches against India A.Australia A fast bowler Henry Thornton had to be hospitalised because of food poisoning.“If there had been an issue with the food, all players, including the Indian players, would have fallen sick. It must have been something else,” Rajeev Shukla told reporters.“They are being fed food from one of the finest hotels, Hotel Landmark; the food is good, and everyone is eating the same.“Since a few players have fallen ill, idhar-udhar se koi infection aa gaya hoga (they may have contracted an infection), and we are handling it,” he added.“The issue arises because there aren’t many hotels. We need 300 rooms in a five-star hotel, and that’s not available.“There is no international airport in the area that operates 24 hours a day. Had better arrangements been in place, they would have gained an advantage.”However, India won the three-match series 2-1.Opener Prabhsimran Singh smashed a scintillating 68-ball 102 before skipper Shreyas Iyer and Riyan Parag struck fluent half-centuries to guide India A to a two-wicket win over Australia A in the third and final unofficial ODI played at the iconic Green Park Stadium on Sunday.
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Opting to bat, Australia A recovered from an early wobble to post a competitive 316 in 49.1 overs, thanks to skipper Jack Edwards’ 89 off 75 balls and an aggressive 73 from Liam Scott.In reply, India A appeared to be cruising at 262 for three in the 35th over before a sudden collapse saw them slip to 301 for eight, losing five wickets in 57 balls.India A had won the opening fixture by 171 runs before Australia A levelled the series with a nine-wicket victory in the second match.
