India and New Zealand take on each other in the first Test at Basin Reserve in Wellington on February 21, 2020. Ahead of the two-match series opener, Indian cricket team visited the Indian High Commissioner in Wellington. The Indian captain, during his speech, thanked the High Commissioner for the invitation. "We are very honoured to be here, invited by the High Commissioner. We want to thank you for that because of all the tours we have, one with the Indian high commission is always a very special evening because we get to spend a lot of time with people from India especially, but we also get to meet a lot of people from the country we are in," said Kohli. India vs New Zealand 1st Test 2020: Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Jasprit Bumrah & Other Key Players to Watch Out for.

"We just heard a few words right now about mutual respect and admiration between the two countries and I couldn't agree more. You spoke of number two spot, I think if we had to share our number one spot with any other team that would be New Zealand," he added.

The Indian captain also said that every other team wants to beat the Men in Blue. "Something that we have embraced as a team over the last three-four years and we have reached a stage where every team wants to beat us. And New Zealand won't be any different but the difference is that there won't be any spite in it and that's one reason why I can sit with Kane on the boundary line and have a conversation mid-game about life and not cricket," Kohli said. India vs New Zealand Dream11 Team Prediction: Tips to Pick Best Playing XI With All-Rounders, Batsmen, Bowlers & Wicket-Keepers for IND vs NZ 1st Test Match 2020.

Watch Virat Kohli's Speech

India's tour of New Zealand began on a thumping note with the visitors handing 5-0 whitewash to the Blackcaps. However, in the three-match ODI series, the Kiwis returned the favour and clean-swept India 3-0. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in the game's longest format.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 19, 2020 08:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).