'Virat Kohli signed cricket bat': External Affairs Minister Jaishankar's Diwali gift to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has handed over UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a cricket bat signed by batting great Virat Kohli as a Diwali gift on Sunday. Jaishankar has shared an image from his visit to the United Kingdom, wherein Sunak was seen holding the willow - a 'Genius MRF Virat Kohli Run Machine' edition. The willow already bears a signature of the former Indian skipper from production and the second is understood to have been collected from Kohli.

Hyderabad:Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gifted UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak a cricket bat signed by batting great Virat Kohli on Sunday. The Indian Minister also shared an image from his visit to the United Kingdom, wherein Sunak was seen holding the willow, a prized possession for sure, during the exchange of gifts.

Which bat?It was a 'Genius MRF Virat Kohli Run Machine' edition bat gifted to the Britain's first ever Hindu PM. The willow already has the signature of the former Indian skipper printed on it. The second signature is understood to have been collected from the batting great.

"The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed Dr S Jaishankar to Downing Street this evening. Together they expressed their very best wishes as Indian communities around the world begin Diwali celebrations," the UK Prime Minister's account in X wrote sharing images from the gifts exchange meeting. One of the images showed Sunak almost holding the bat like a batter, definitely not inimical to any English batter.

Kohli's Diwali-As the bat changed hands in the 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK Prime Minister in London, Kohli was honouring a request from the crowd which wanted him to bowl against Netherlands at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, in the last league game in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. On Sunday evening, Kohil also sent back the Dutch captain Scott Edwards for 17, caught behind down leg side. While it was Kohli’s first ODI wicket since January 2014, his fifth overall in the ODI format of the game.

With the Bat, Virat took on the bowlers, unleashing some interesting shots. A bottom-handed six against Logan van Beek came off his willow. His sweep shots also brought some boundaries to the board, to his credit. After hitting his half-century in the 28th over, Kohli appeared to be gearing up for a record 50th ton. Roelof van der Merwe had other plans. His left-arm spit castled Kohli, soon after.

Delighted to call on (the UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Diwali Day. Conveyed the best wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Jaishankar said. India and the UK are actively engaged in reframing the relationship for contemporary times. Thank Mr. and Mrs. Sunak for their warm reception and gracious hospitality, he wrote in an X post.

Sunak & Cricket- Sunak's love for cricket was on full display when he engaged in a banter with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese when they met at the Vilnius Summit in Lithuania. They both were seen carrying a picture each from the Ashes 2023 series, which was drawn with 2-2.

Albanese pulled out a paper which read, 'Aus 2-1 England', and Sunak who came prepared pulled out a photo of Chris Woakes and Mark Wood celebrating after England's win in the third Test. Albanese levelled up bringing one more picture which he said "would be a little provocative," a photo depicting Jonny Bairstow's controversial dismissal as he moved away from his crease.

Sunak who chuckled did not have a picture to counter but threw a jibe blinking. "I'm sorry but I didn't bring my sandpaper with me!" Albanese was seen drawing a crease on the floor. 'Sandpaper', Sunak referred to was a ball tampering incident which led to sacking of Australian skipper Steve Smith as captain and sanctions on Cameron Bancroft caught using sandpaper to tamper the ball. Smit and the then vice-captain David Warner too faced bans.

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