Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese on the opening day of the fourth India-Australia Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday (Image courtesy: Twitter/@AlboMP)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese engaged in some cricket diplomacy as they watched the opening session of the first day’s play of the fourth Test match between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The world’s largest cricket stadium was choc-a-bloc as the two leaders arrived at the venue for the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
While PM Modi presented a special cap to Team India captain Rohit Sharma, the Australian PM also gave a special baggy green to stand-in Aussie skipper Steve Smith.
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah also presented a framed artwork to PM Modi, celebrating 75 years of friendship with Australia through cricket.
BCCI President Roger Binny too presented a framed artwork representing 75 years of friendship through cricket to Australian PM Albanese.
The toss, which was won by the visiting skipper, took place with a specially-minted coin which celebrates 75 years of friendship between the two nations.
Both PM Modi and Albanese then met the Indian and Australian teams before the start of the game.
The two leaders also took a round of the massive stadium and greeted the crowd.
The presence of the two leaders generated some electrifying energy at the stadium which had witnessed massive queues of spectators since early morning.
The presence of the two leaders at the match showcased the shared passion for cricket as a hallmark of a long-standing friendship between the two countries.
The Australian Prime Minister was on Wednesday accorded a grand welcome on his arrival in Ahmedabad as he kicked off his four-day visit, the first by an Australian Prime Minister to India since 2017.
“An incredible welcome to Ahmedabad, India. The beginning of an important trip for Australia-India relations,” he tweeted after landing in Gujarat.
He will now travel Mumbai and New Delhi in a bid to further deepen the strategic, economic and people-to-people ties between the two countries regarded as close friends and partners.
In New Delhi, PM Modi and Albanese will hold the India-Australia Annual Leaders’ Summit which will focus on trade and investment, renewable energy, technology, defence and security cooperation.
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