New Delhi: The high-flying Indian team, having conquered Australia in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Fortress Perth, arrived in Canberra for the traditional two-day match against Prime Minister’s XI starting on November 30.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, who missed the Perth Test to be with his wife for the berth of their second child, and his teammates visited the Australian Parliament as special guests.
The Indian team was warmly greeted by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who got introduced to every member of the squad.
Rohit was invited to address the Parliament, where the members of the PM’s XI team were also present along with the country’s lawmakers.
Thanking the Prime Minister for inviting the team, Rohit shared his thoughts on the India-Australia relationship on and off the field, and hoped to entertain the Aussie public and Indian fans over the next one month.
“We’ve had some success in the past and we’ve had a very good momentum, you know, the previous week. As we look to build on that momentum, we also do want to enjoy the culture that Australia has, the variety of the cities, which gives us a different feeling… Hopefully, in the next few weeks, we can entertain the Australian public as well as the Indian fans who are here and play a massive role in achieving that we achieve,” the India captain said.
Here’s the video clip of Rohit’s speech which was shared by several users on X:
Full speech of Captain Rohit Sharma at Parliament house Canberra Australia.🙌🇮🇳🔥
THE AURA THE SWAG @ImRo45 🐐🙇🏼♂️ pic.twitter.com/YbeLk2idBs
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) November 28, 2024
PM Albanese, a cricket lover, got introduced to the entire squad and engaged in some light-hearted banter with the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit.
Images from the meeting were posted on PM Albanese’s official social media account. Additionally, Albanese shared his message with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that he supports the Australians in completing the task.
“This week at Manuka Oval, the PM’s XI will face a formidable Indian team in a big test. However, I am supporting the Australians to finish the job, as I told Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Albanese wrote on X alongside some pictures that he shared.
Big challenge ahead for the PM’s XI at Manuka Oval this week against an amazing Indian side. ⁰⁰
But as I said to PM @narendramodi, I’m backing the Aussies to get the job done. pic.twitter.com/zEHdnjQDLS
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) November 28, 2024
Albanese complemented Bumrah, stand-in skipper and Man of the Match in the opening Test, for his fantastic effort and told him that his style was really distinct from anyone else’s.
“Good time in Perth, as if we weren’t suffering enough at that point,” he told Kohli, referring to his unbeaten 100 in the second innings.
“Always gotta add some spice to it,” Kohli responded with a chuckle, leading Albanese to associate ‘spice’ with the Indian players.