Cake before cricket

Ahead of their match against West Indies, the Indian cricketers participated in the age-old tradition of Christmas cake mixing in Vijayawada. They mixed dry fruits, cherries and liquor with bonhomie and gaiety.

Indian cricketers taking part in the Christmas cake mixing ceremony at The Gateway Hotel in Vijayawada.

Indian medium pacer Jhulan Goswami was smelling Chivas Regal, a premium whisky, while left-arm spinners Ekta Bisht and Rajeswari Gayakwad were admiring an oval-shaped Old Monk bottle.

The Indian cricketers, however, weren't on a drinking binge. They were participating in the age-old tradition of Christmas cake mixing at The Gateway Hotel. Along with bakers and chefs, they mixed dry fruits, cherries and liquor with bonhomie and gaiety.

“They (the women cricketers) are our star guests and we want them to be part of the grand event. They thoroughly enjoyed and contributed their mite towards cake making,” said sales manager Shabul Hassan.

He said around 30 bottles of liquor were poured into 250 kg of ingredients used for the cake preparation. “We will keep the mix for preservation for 45 days before starting the cake preparation,” he added.