The Indian cricket team had an eventful visit to meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra. The squad, led by the captain Rohit Sharma, interacted with the customary PM’s XI at the Parliament House. The meeting pictures were shared from Prime Minister Albanese’s official social media account as he sent a message across to his counterpart Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he is backing the Aussies. “Big challenge ahead for the PM’s XI at Manuka Oval this week against an amazing Indian side. But as I said to PM Narendra Modi, I’m backing the Aussies to get the job done,” the post read.
During the function, Albanese was seen having a great interaction with the visiting Indian players as Rohit Sharma introduced the team. The Prime Minister praised Jasprit Bumrah for his unusual bowling style and lauded his outstanding endeavor. At one lighthearted moment, he joked with Virat Kohli and mentioned that time in Perth: “Good time in Perth, as if we weren’t suffering enough at that point.” Kohli humorously said, “Always gotta add some spice to it,” which Albanese humorously traced back to the Indian players.
The two were bantering on the context of the just-ended 1st Test, in which India beat Australia by 295 runs. Kohli played a starring role in that victory, with his 30th Test century and seventh in Australia, while Bumrah took eight wickets on his way to being named Player of the Match.
The Indian team reached Canberra from Perth in the wee hours of November 28 morning to get ready for their two-day pink-ball game against the Prime Minister’s XI. The game has become an important dress rehearsal for the day-night Test at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting on December 6 at the Adelaide Oval.
