Masterchef Morne Morkel: The ‘dish’ who can rustle up any dish

Kolkata: An out-and-out South African fast bowler, Morne Morkel  represents Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. He just loves experimenting with different foods even when he is at the hotel. He talks to The Telegraph's T2 in Kolkata. Following are excerpts of his interview. How are you coping with the Calcutta heat? I’m used to it now. It’s not my first time in India. Have been coming here for nine years. It does need some getting used to, but I don’t mind it! How’s the KKR camp this year? It’s fantastic. We’ve had a great start. I’m very happy having Jacques Kallis, Simon Katich and Wasim Akram around. They have a wealth of experience. That’s great for the whole squad. Jacques played with us last year so he knows all about the conditions and Simon’s records speak for themselves. What’s playing at Eden Gardens like? It is very special. It’s one of my favourite grounds in India. It has a lot of rich history and you can feel it every time you play there. It had a bit of grass in the first game...  It was great! Hope it stays there for the whole season but then again that’s not something we can control. We can’t be worried about outside factors and instead concentrate on our own strengths. We are lucky to have a brilliant squad which can play and win in any condition. How awesome is Shah Rukh Khan as team owner? It’s amazing how passionate he is about the game. He is always there supporting us, whether we win or lose. We’re so lucky to have someone like him as our owner. Do you enjoy watching movies? I do... but I barely get the time to relax on my couch and watch movies… mostly I’m cleaning diapers now! (laughs) How’s life when there is no cricket? I enjoy wildlife. I enjoy playing golf too. I have a family now, I love spending time with my little boy (seven-month-old) now. I don’t get to spend a lot of time at home so it’s very important for me to connect with him in whatever time I get! Are Roz (wife) and your son coming to India for the IPL? Yeah... they’ll be here! He is a mumma’s boy but it is important for me to spend time with him. What do the two of you do? We play with small bats and balls! There’s a lot of hand-eye coordination you can do even at that age, but yeah, I just want him to do his own stuff. A few of your teammates told us you are a foodie... what’s your favourite food? Anything and everything! I love food. I love experimenting with different foods. Even at the hotel, I speak to the chefs and I make my own sort of things. I love experimenting with pasta. Staying for seven weeks in the hotel can sometimes be tough so I’m trying to make it as much fun as possible! What was the last thing you experimented with... It was a pasta dish, with some broccoli, chicken and different kinds of cheese… it tasted beautiful. I’ll probably bring out a cookbook someday (laughs)! West Indies danced to Champion after winning World T20. What song will KKR dance to if you win IPL 9? (Laughs) We have a lot of great singers and dancers in the squad. So hopefully over the course of the tournament, we can come up with something of our own. Maybe we can ask Mr Shah Rukh Khan to help us out a bit there... our fans can also join us! -The Telegraph Calcutta