'Was discussed in the team meeting': Virat Kohli on farmers' protest tweets

Shedding light on the tweets by Indian cricketers on the ongoing farmers' stir, Team India captain Virat Kohli has revealed that the issue was also discussed the team meeting. The Indian skipper also said that any issue in the country is discussed by everyone. On Wednesday evening, several members of the Indian cricket team including several former players tweeted regarding the ongoing farmers' agitation and against the meddling of foreign personalities in India's internal affairs. 

"Any issue in the country is discussed by everyone. We briefly discussed that in the team meeting as well," Virat Kohli said in the pre-match press conference on Thursday. 

Indian cricketers tweet on farmers protest

Amid row over pop-sensation Rihanna's tweet, Kohli on Wednesday had urged one and all to stay united in this hour of disagreements. Highlighting the importance of farmers in everyone's lives, the batting megastar went on to say that they are an integral part of our country and at the same time, Kohli also hoped that an amicable solution will be found between all parties to bring about peace and they all can move forward together. 

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Following the captain, Ajinkya Rahane also stressed on the fact that 'there’s no issue that cannot be resolved if we stand together as one'. India's limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma appealed to the people of the country to stand together in order to find a solution for the deadlock between the farmers and the Centre. Taking to Twitter, Rohit Sharma noted that India's biggest strength was when it stood together as a nation and found solutions for its problems. Further, Rohit Sharma said that the farmers played an important role in the well-being of India and hoped that 'everyone played their roles' to find a solution to end the stalemate. 

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Team India Head Coach Ravi Shastri also took to Twitter to assert that no outside interference is needed with regards to the ongoing farmers' protests and that the matter can be solved internally. Shastri said that agriculture is a very important part of the machinery of the Indian economic system and that the farmers are the backbone of any country’s ecosystem. Furthermore, the former Indian all-rounder added that this is an internal matter which he is sure will be resolved through dialogue. Their statements came after global pop sensation Rihanna and environment activist Greta Thunberg intruded the farmers' stir in to extend their support through social media. 

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India vs England Test series

Virat Kohli's comments come on the eve of the first Test of the 4-match series against England which is set to commence on Friday. With the finale berth of the World Test Championship being the prize of the series, the Tests between India and England promise to be cracker as both teams are riding high confidence with a series win against Sri Lanka and Australia.  The tour kicks off with the first Test that will be played in Chennai's M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. The second Test match will also be played at the same venue between February 13-17. The newly renovated Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad will be contesting the final two games (Feb 24-28) & (March 4-8) respectively. The BCCI has also opened gates for crowds from the second Test onwards allowing fans to catch the action live. 

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