 "Pakistan's Babar Azam (Photo: Reuters)")
The World Cup 2023 is set to commence on October 5 in India. In anticipation of the opening match between England and New Zealand, a press conference was organised featuring the captains of all participating teams.
During the conference, Ravi Shastri, the former coach of the Indian national cricket team, inquired of Pakistan's captain Babar Azam, "How was the biryani in Hyderabad?"
The fondness for biryani in Pakistan is well known. Various online videos often capture Pakistani players discussing or savouring the dish. Azam responded in a light-hearted manner, saying, "Sau baari baata chuke hain," which means he has answered that question a hundred times before.
Earlier in the day, the International Cricket Council (ICC) posted a video on Instagram where Azam gave his opinion on Hyderabadi biryani.
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"It is a specialty, the Hyderabadi Biryani! I would rate it 8 out of 10. It is slightly spicy, though," he was seen saying.
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During the press conference, Azam also discussed the Pakistan team's warm welcome upon their arrival at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.
"We received excellent hospitality. We weren't expecting this, but the way people responded was appreciated by everyone. We have been in Hyderabad for a week and it feels like home. We are enjoying ourselves and having a lot of fun. This tournament offers a golden opportunity for everyone to give their 100 per cent," he added.
Pakistan will begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The team is scheduled to face India in a highly anticipated match on October 14 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat.
World Cup 2023: India and Pakistan Full Squads
India's World Cup Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav.
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Pakistan's World Cup Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
