President Ram Nath Kovind
With India and Australia in the midst of a gripping season of cricket, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday said Australian businesses looking to invest in the country should take a cue from Aussie cricketers who have made it big in India.
Addressing a business summit in Sydney on the eve of the second India-Australia 20-20 match in Melbourne, Kovind said India and Australia shared a passion for cricket along with other things.
"For many Indian cricket fans, Australia is their favourite team except when you are playing India but especially when you are competing for the Ashes," he said in the presence of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
He noted that both the countries also share the values of democracy, pluralism and human dignity, the English language and the belief that at the simplest, most basic level, business, trade and technology must change lives of those sections of society who need change the most.
Kovind also underlined that both India and Australia shared vision for the peace and prosperity of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, an apparent reference to China, which is flexing its muscles in the area.
Returning to the topic of cricket, the president said, he believed Australian business-persons and investors planning to invest in India could learn from the successes of their cricketers on Indian wickets.
"They say cricket is a metaphor for life. I believe it is also a metaphor for business. Australian business-persons and investors looking to India should borrow from the methods of cricketers.
"The most successful Australian batsmen in India have been those who have shown patience, read the conditions carefully, settled down for a long innings, nurtured dependable partnerships – and not fallen for spin.
"Come to India. The pitch is ready!" president Kovind said.
