There was diplomacy in action ahead of the 4th Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, March 9. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese came together, celebrating 75 years of the relationship between the two nations. The two leaders were the special guests at the world’s biggest cricket stadium before the toss of the high-octane Test series finale.
It was Ravi Shastri who was the presenter for the mini ceremony which involved the two Prime Ministers and the two captains at the Narendra Modi Stadium before the toss. PM Modi presented Rohit Sharma with his brand-new Test cap while PM Anthony presented Steve Smith with the special Baggy Green after which the Indian Prime Minister urged all of them to pose for the photographers with raised arms.
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Notably, the BCCI secretary Jay Shah presented PM Modi with a framed artwork of the Prime Minister himself at the ceremony. “Mr. Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI, presents framed artwork to Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modiji, celebrating 75 years of friendship with Australia through cricket,” the BCCI said, sharing videos from the ceremony.
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
Mr. Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI, presents framed artwork to Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modiji, celebrating 75 years of friendship with Australia through cricket. @narendramodi | @PMOIndia | @JayShah | #TeamIndia | #INDvAUS | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/nmDJwq2Yer
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 9, 2023
PM Modi and PM Anthony also joined the two teams during the national anthems just before the start of play. Captain Rohit Sharma introduced all the India players to PM Modi while Steve Smith had the honor of doing the same to PM Anthony.
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It was Steve Smith who won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat first as Australia got the early advantage of putting pressure on India, who are heading into the Test after having lost the 3rd Test in Indore. The sign of confidence was visible in the visiting camp as they went in with an unchanged XI.
On the other hand, India rested Mohammed Siraj and brought back Mohammed Shami into the XI as the hosts made just one change for the 4th Test.
