Patna, Feb. 27: If you are a Sachin Tendulkar fan, don’t be in two minds. Hit a straight drive for Tendulkar Khaas (dum chicken biryani served with mirchi ka salan). If that is not enticing enough, tuck into juicy dollops of Dhoni Gosht (mutton chaap with Indian herbs) and that too at an affordable price of Rs 365.

With the World Cup fever touching a high, cricket seems to have taken the city by storm. Hotels, cafes, restaurants and clubs are pushing hard to grab eyeballs as they put up huge LCD screens and prepare to serve dishes inspired by cricket.

The menu is not confined to just Tendulkar and the Team India captain, one can find other mouth-watering dishes named after their cricketing stars on their platter. Sreesant’s name is also lent to hot and crispy golden fried prawn.

Tarun Agarwal, a businessman from New Delhi on a Patna tour while taking his lunch at Hotel Chanakya, said: “This is a good way to cash in on the cricket craze. The good thing is we can enjoy the delicious food and enjoy watching the matches along side.”

On the names of food items being named after cricket stars, Agarwal said hotel owners have come up with this innovative idea but there is not much difference in the taste of the food when compared to the original. He said Harbhajan Hattrick, which is stuffed chicken with butter and deep fried, tastes the same as ordinary stuffed chicken with butter.

However, Anil Kumar Nair, the assistant general manager (AGM) of Hotel Chanakya, said: “The delicacies named after cricket stars is completely different from the existing dishes on the menu. We are witnessing a good response from the people for such items.”

Moreover, the menu would be served only during World Cup and once the World Cup concludes, it will be served only on special order, added Nair. Hotel Maurya is also offering such schemes along with attractive gifts for their customers.

B.D. Singh, the general manager (GM) of Hotel Maurya, said: “Apart from having big LCD screens and delicacies named after cricketers, we are also giving away gifts for our customers. During India matches, if a person correctly predicts the ‘Man of the Match’ he would win gifts.”

Ujwal Pradhan, a student of IIT, Patna who is a regular to restaurants, said cricket is a religion in the country and the players are treated just like gods.

Pradhan said: “Naming food items after cricket players is not a new thing it has been done in the past. Moreover, the cricketing giants have also ventured into the hotel businesses as Tendulkar owns a restaurant in Mumbai called Tendulkar’s.”