"I give him the highest praise I can offer any international cricketer" - Australian minister on meeting Virat Kohli during BGT 2024-25
Team India's ace batter Virat Kohli enjoys a tremendous following in Australia. The seasoned campaigner even earned massive praise from an Australian minister during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The Indian players met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday, November 28. During the meeting, a few Australian ministers also interacted with the Team India cricketers.
Taking to his Instagram account, Australia's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts expressed his excitement at meeting Kohli. He also mentioned that he supports the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sharing a picture with Virat Kohli, Watts wrote:
"A bit of a thrill to meet the Australian and Indian players in the PM's XI game at Parliament House tonight. I told @virat.kohli that I support @royalchallengers.bengaluru in the @iplt20 because it's the only opportunity I get to legitimately barrack for him. I give him the highest praise I can offer any international cricketer when I say that I've loved watching him play because he plays like an Australian. Just not when he's playing AGAINST Australia of course..."
Team India will now take part in a two-day practice match against Prime Minister's XI in Canberra, beginning on November 30. India currently lead the five-match series 1-0, courtesy of their comprehensive 295-run victory in the opening Test in Perth.
Virat Kohli ended his Test century drought with a brilliant knock at Perth
Virat Kohli had come under the scanner for his red-ball form following a string of underwhelming performances in the format. The former India captain was dismissed for just five runs in the Perth Test of the BGT 2024-25 series.
However, the right-hander made amends with an unbeaten 100-run knock in the subsequent essay. He notched up his 30th Test ton, hitting a hundred in Test cricket after a gap of 491 days.
Kohli getting back to form is a good sign for Team India in the crucial BGT 2024-25 series. He has a stellar record on Australian soil, having scored 1,457 runs from 27 Test innings at an average of 56.03.