Team India captain Rohit Sharma delivered a speech in the Australian parliament on Thursday, November 28, wherein he spoke on the rich history of bilateral relations between India and Australia, both on and off the field. (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
He also said Indian players love the challenge of playing in Australia and enjoy exploring the country and its culture.
The 37-year-old acknowledged the fierce on-field rivalry between the two teams, especially during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but stated this only strengthened the bond between the two nations, creating an environment of mutual respect and camaraderie.
"India and Australia have a long relationship in sports and trade. We enjoyed playing cricket over here. Australia are a challenging team because of the passion of the fans and the competitive nature of the players. It is nice to be up against one of the best teams in the world," Rohit Sharma said in his speech at the parliament.
Rohit also added his fondness of travelling Down Under, describing the country's culture and vibe as vibrant and full of life. The skipper pointed out how his team enjoys travelling to Australia for cricket tours, citing the passionate crowds that come to watch the matches and the challenging conditions that make series even more memorable.
Rohit also highlighted that the India vs Australia rivalry has become one of the most anticipated match-up in world cricket.
"We have achieved success in Australia and recently won a Test match. We want to take the momentum forward. We also want to enjoy the culture. I hope we entertain the Australian and Indian fans in the remaining matches. We look forward to playing good cricket and at the same time, enjoy the country. It is a wonderful place and hopefully we will play good cricket in the next few weeks. It is a pleasure to be here and thank you sir for inviting us," Rohit said.
Rohit To Return For 2nd Test
Rohit, who missed the 1st Test after he and his wife welcomed their second baby, will be leading India out for the second Test in Adelaide, starting from December 6.
Ahead of the Pink-ball Test, Indian team will take part in a warm-up match in Canberra. India are 1-0 up in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after beating the hosts by 295-runs in Perth.
India Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah(c), Mohammed Siraj, Sarfaraz Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Abhimanyu Easwaran
