Rohit Sharma highlighted the healthy bond between India and Australia in his speech at the Australian Parliament on Thursday (November 28), and vowed to build on the Perth Test win in the ongoing tour Down Under.

The Indian players interacted with the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who hosted a reception at the Federal Parliament House ahead of the tour game in Canberra.

"India and Australia. We go back a long way, whether it's sport, whether it is trade relations. Over the years, we have enjoyed coming to this part of the world, playing cricket, and enjoying a variety of the culture in the country. And obviously, Australia is one of the challenging places to come and play cricket because of the passion people have, the competitiveness that every player possesses. Which is why for us, it's always been a great challenge to come here and play cricket," Rohit said in his speech.

"We've had some success in the past and the previous week as we look to build on that momentum, we also do want to enjoy a culture that Australia has. The variety of the cities gives us a different feeling. We do love coming here and enjoy our trip, and hopefully in the next few weeks, you know, we can entertain the Australian public and as well as the Indian fans who are here to play a massive role in achieving what we want to achieve. It's never easy," he added.

"We look forward to playing some cricket and at the same time, enjoying the country as well. It's a wonderful place, as we all know. Look forward to a very good month coming up. We are all excited and hopefully we can entertain. Thank you sir, for having us here. It's a pleasure," he concluded.

The Indian team reached Canberra on Thursday morning. The visitors will play the two-day pink-ball practice game against the Prime Minister's XI, starting on Saturday (November 30) at the Manuka Oval.

Having defeated Australia by 295 runs in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Perth, Team India are leading the five-match series 1-0.

The second Test will be played with pink ball from December 6 to 10 at the Adelaide Oval.

(With IANS Inputs)