Marcus Stoinis, an Australian all-rounder, has hired a personal Indian chef to provide bespoke meals for the Cricket World Cup 2023.
Marcus Stoinis, an Australia all-rounder who is very cautious about his food consumption, is travelling across India with a personal chef to guarantee he gets a low carb diet during the ODI World Cup. According to ‘cricket.com.au,’ the 34-year-old all-rounder is on a ketogenic diet (high-fat, low-carb), with baked oats loaded with protein being one of his favourites. According to the story, Mumbai-born Velton Saldanha, a French-trained chef, travels with Stoinis and cooks him meals in the Australian team’s hotel kitchens.
“Quite a few of the Indian boys do it, that’s where I got the idea,” Stoinis told cricket.com.au’s ‘Unplayable Podcast’.
“I’ve always been quite strict with my food and all that stuff in my preparation.”
The Australian team has its own chef who monitors meal preparation as they travel around the country, but Stoinis has gone a step further in his pursuit of optimal performance.
“The garlic naan is no longer available.” Gluten-free banana bread and shepherd’s pie with roasted cauliflower mash are on the menu. “A roast butter chicken, a fusion of Saldanha’s French training and Indian heritage, has also been a hit,” according to the report.
“Stoinis is getting by on baked oats – at least for the small carbohydrate portion of his meticulously curated diet,” the report added.
“By the end of the World Cup, Saldanha might be able to sell the ‘Stoinis Oats’ as a standalone dish.” Stoinis met Saldanha, who has worked in fine-dining establishments in Chicago and New York, during this year’s IPL on the recommendation of his Lucknow Supergiants teammate and India star KL Rahul.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Saldanha created Mumbai’s Chutney Collective.
In this event, Stoinis has battled to maintain consistency. He missed the first match due to hamstring and quad concerns. In his three matches thus far, he has scored 5, 20 not out, and 21.
“I want to play for as long as I possibly can.” Through my business, I want to get control over as many things as possible.
“We travel a lot and are definitely out of our comfort zone. We’re in different time zones. We’re in various beds, other motels – we’re not precisely on the beach in Perth, drinking a coffee and that sort of thing.” He does not believe that hiring a personal chef is a waste of money.
“As a result, I’m more than willing to invest in myself and my surroundings.” I don’t consider that stuff to be a waste of money, as some do.
“I’m happy to invest in my own chef or invest my own batting coach or invest my own sports psychologist – that’s just the way I see things.”
