Cricket diplomacy: Ahmedabad puts on a show for Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese

There was a different buzz in the air this morning in Ahmedabad. Patrol vehicles were on the streets as early as 6:30 in the morning and all roads were clearly heading towards the Narendra Modi Stadium. Both for cricketing and non-cricketing reasons.

Before the cricket got underway, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese witnessed a spectacle at the gigantic venue.

It wasn’t a normal cricket match for sure as the media contingent – both broadcast and print – reached the venue in the early hours of the day and the crowd started building up from 8 am onwards. Not a usual sight on the first day of a Test match, that too on a working day.

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By 8:30 am, PM Modi’s visuals were flashed on the giant screens placed opposite each other in the stadium. Up went the spectators with a loud roar as the two leaders made their way out to the dais in front of the sight screen. A cultural performance took place before the two PMs handed caps to the two captains Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith during the event hosted by former India cricketer Ravi Shastri.

PM Modi triggered a loud roar when he raised the arms of the two captains in unison and gave the moment of the day to the photographers!

The Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modiji presents the special cap to #TeamIndia captain @ImRo45 while The Honourable Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Anthony Albanese presents the cap to Australia captain Steve Smith.@narendramodi | @PMOIndia | #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/8RH70LOx0v

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 9, 2023

A couple of minutes were left for the scheduled 9:00 am toss and the esteemed guests were set to begin their lap around the ground in a unique vehicle. The DJ switched between different patriotic songs but reserved the iconic “Chak De” for the last leg of the lap.

The two captains stood near the strip all this while and the toss took place after the lap was finished and both PM Modi and Albanese returned to the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) lobby to inaugurate the wall of fame.

In the plush lobby area, pictures of all-time greats are placed on the wall which also mentions notable performers and contributors during India-Australia contests over the years. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting, and MS Dhoni are the faces on the wall which also has a giant picture of the two PMs in the middle.

Incredible moments