The members of the Indian cricket team alongwith their Australian counterparts were hosted by the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison at his official residence, the Kirribilli House in Sydney, on the New Year’s Day. Both skippers Virat Kohli and Tim Paine were present at the PM’s residence on the auspicious occasion with their respective teams. Rohit Sharma was the only person missing from the Indian sqaud after he flew back to India on December 30 to be with his wife Ritika Sajdeh and new born child.
Players and supporting staff of both the sides posed formally with Morrison during the official photo session. The Australian players were wearing their team jerseys while the members of the Indian team were spotted in formal wear, wearing white shirts with blue pants, combined with a Nehru coat. The BCCI shared photos of the same from their official twitter handle.
The Australian PM was witnessed shaking hands with the players from either side during the event. It was not Virat Kohli or any of the high profile names in the Indian squad but the 21 year old Rishabh Pant who caught the immediate attention of the Morrison. It was Pant whom the Australian PM immediately recognized as the player from the Indian cricket team to have sledged his Australian counterpart Tim Paine during the Boxing Day encounter at the MCG.
It was the stump mic banter between Tim Paine and Rishabh Pant which grabbed the headlines in the recently concluded third test match between India and Australia at the MCG despite the visitors registering a historic 137 run win at the venue to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Australian skipper Paine was heard having a go at Pant when he came out to bat on Day 3, offering him the role of a babysitter for his kids when he would go out for a movie with his wife. The 21 year old decided to give it back in the best possible manner when he came out to bat in the fourth innings, referring to him as a temporary captain who only knew how to talk.
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