Canberra: Rohit Sharma praised the strong ties between India and Australia during his speech at the Australian Parliament on Thursday, November 28, and expressed his commitment to maintaining the series-winning momentum on the ongoing tour.

'Great Challenge To Come Here And Play Cricket': Rohit Sharma addresses Australia's parliament ahead of 2nd Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Adelaide - Indian Captain Rohit Sharma Meets Australian PM Ahead of Adelaide Test, Calls Playing in Australia a 'Great Challenge'

In a unique moment ahead of the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Adelaide, Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma addressed Australia's parliament, calling it a "great challenge to come here and play cricket." The Indian team also had a warm meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during their visit to Canberra.

As part of tradition, the Australian Prime Minister met the Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, along with the PM's XI squad in parliament. Pictures from the gathering were shared on PM Albanese's official social media account. In one of the posts, Albanese conveyed his support for the Australian side while acknowledging the tough competition posed by the Indian team. He mentioned, "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."

During the meeting, Rohit Sharma introduced his team to PM Albanese. The conversation was light-hearted, with Albanese praising Jasprit Bumrah for his unique bowling style and recalling moments from the previous matches. To Virat Kohli, he quipped about India's dominance in Perth, humorously adding, "Good time in Perth, as if we weren't suffering enough at that point." Kohli, in turn, added humor to the exchange by saying, "Always gotta add some spice to it," to which Albanese playfully associated the term "spice" with the Indian players, drawing laughter.

The meeting followed India’s emphatic victory in the first Test, where they defeated Australia by a massive margin of 295 runs. Key contributors to this triumph included Virat Kohli, who scored his 30th Test century and seventh on Australian soil, and Jasprit Bumrah, who took eight wickets and was named Player of the Match.

The camaraderie between the teams and their leaders set an engaging tone as the two sides prepared for the upcoming clash in Adelaide, promising another intense chapter in this iconic cricket rivalry.

Here is the original text of Rohit Sharma's speech in Australian parliament:-

 "Honorable Prime Minister, respected guests, both the members of the team, very good evening. Thank you sir, thank you for having us. India and Australia, we go back a long way, whether it's playing the sport, whether it is creating relations. Over the years, we have enjoyed coming to this part of the world, playing cricket and enjoying the variety of culture in the country. And obviously, you know, Australia is one of the challenging places to come and play cricket because of the passion people have, the competitiveness every player possesses, which is why, you know, us, it's always been a great challenge to come here and play cricket. We've had some success in the past and we've had a very good momentum, you know, the previous week," said Rohit Sharma.

 "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. And yeah, we do love coming here and enjoy it. And 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, because without their support, it's never easy. So yes, we look forward to playing some good cricket at the same time, enjoying the country as well. It's been a wonderful place, as we all know. Yeah, look forward to a very good month coming up. We are all excited and hopefully, we can entertain a lot of people," he concluded.