Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has raised eyebrows after he took his place alongside Check captain Steve Smith for the Australian nationwide anthem on Thursday.
The 60-year-old acquired a rock star welcome as he was paraded across the colossal Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad earlier than the beginning of play within the Fourth Check between Australia and India.
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Albanese and counterpart Modi, who the stadium is known as after, brought about anarchy earlier than the beginning of play as they have been launched to the group of round 100,000 spectators and got a heroes reception as they have been pushed across the area on a open-roof chariot that carefully resembled a “Pope-mobile”.
After the pomp and ceremony, Albanese spoke with Smith and Indian captain Rohit Sharma earlier than all of them walked out onto the sphere for the nationwide anthems.
Cricket commentators have been left shocked Albanese stayed on the sphere and linked arms with Smith earlier than Advance Australia Honest was performed across the stadium.
Modi additionally stood by the Indian gamers because the Indian nationwide anthem was performed.
Albanese this summer season additionally made an look within the Fox Cricket commentary field in the course of the Sydney Check in opposition to South Africa in January.
Albanese has been in India whereas conducting formal commerce talks with the biggest democracy on the planet.
The Narendra Modi Stadium has a capability of 132,000, and the marvel of sporting structure has been used for big political occasions, together with when Modi welcomed then US President Donald Trump in 2020.
The official assembly between Modi and Albanese meant the 2 groups have been barred from warming up on the sphere and have been relegated to the surface nets.
Aussie Check nice Brad Haddin described the scenario as “carnage”.
“That’s all a part of the theatre of touring India,” he mentioned on Fox Cricket.
“We haven’t identified what the wicket is and now you may’t even get on the bottom. That’s all a part of the theatre. You simply need to embrace the carnage and that’s what Steve Smith has finished with this Australian group.”
Pictures of the 2 Prime Ministers, accompanied with the message “Friendship By Cricket”, are emblazoned on the stadium’s exterior and on massive panels inside the sector.
The official document crowd for a day of Check cricket was set in 2013 when 91,112 folks attended Day 1 of the Boxing Day Ashes Check.
A brand new document might effectively be set in Ahmedabad.
