Hyderabad: Ahead of India's two-day Pink Ball game against Australia's Prime Minister XI, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hosted the Indian cricket team at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, 28 November 2024. PM Albanese praised India batting stalwart Virat Kohli and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, joking about the former captain's dominance over the Aussies in recent years.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma introduced PM Albanese to the players. The Prime Minister first greeted Kohli and congratulated him on his century in the Perth Test. He then took a moment to commend Bumrah as he described the Indian bowler's bowling action as one of the most unique he had ever seen.
"Good time in Perth, as if we weren't suffering enough at that point," PM Albanese said to Virat Kohli. Kohli replied with a huge grin, saying, "Always gotta add some spice to it." Both Kohli and PM Albanese shared a laugh, with the latter drawing a playful connection to India’s love for spice.
The Indian team arrived in Canberra on Wednesday to feature in a two-day practice match against the Prime Minister's XI at Manuka Oval, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. It will be played with the pink ball as preparations for the highly anticipated second Test against Australia in Adelaide which will be a day-night Test. India would look to make the most out of the opportunity, getting used to the conditions and the pink ball. The second Test will begin on December 6, 2024.
Captain Rohit also addressed the Parliament House on Thursday, emphasising the ever-evolving relationship between the two cricket-crazy nations.
"India and Australia. We go back a long way, whether it's sport, whether it is trade relations. Over the years, we have enjoyed coming to this part of the world, playing cricket, and enjoying a variety of the culture in the country. And obviously, Australia is one of the challenging, uh, players to come and play cricket because of the passion people have, the competitiveness that every player possesses. Which is why you know for us, it's always been a great challenge to come here and play cricket," Rohit Sharma said.
