Anthony Albanese set to open fourth Test at Narendra Modi Stadium
Anthony Albanese wasn’t the best batter or bowler, but his cameo at the fourth Test is set to be unlike anything he’s ever experienced.
Cricket
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The fourth Test in Ahmedabad is set to be a hotbed of chaos as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lands in India ahead of his first diplomatic tour of the country as Prime Minister.
Albanese will be one of more than 100,000 people set to descend upon the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad for the first day’s play in the Test.
The Ahmedabad Test is expected to have one of the biggest crowds ever for a single day’s play of a Test match, with the Narendra Modi Stadium able to hold 132,000 people at capacity.
Watch Australia’s Tour of India. Every Test & ODI live & ad-break free during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
With Albanese being one of the few Prime Ministers from Test-playing nations, it is expected that Modi will use the fourth Test as a platform to welcome him and demonstrate in-person India’s booming economic power in scenes that have only been seen for the likes of former US President Donald Trump.
Modi likes to put on a show for powerful visitors, and the huge crowds that he deliberately tries to draw are designed to remind the world that India exists on an enormous economic scale that is not to be taken lightly.
This has resulted in access issues for the travelling tourists headed to the Gujarati capital for cricket rather than politics, with 85,000 tickets to the first day’s play have been set aside for local families and students and causing early fears that travelling Australian fans could be locked out.
These were allayed by a last-minute Cricket Australia effort to secure a ticket booth at the ground to allow travelling supports to purchase tickets.
The Sydney Morning Herald have reported that work is also underway to secure the release of another 15,000 tickets.
The stadium was demolished in 2015 and rebuilt to an almost trebled capacity of 132,000, opening for the inaugural visit of then-President Donald Trump in 2020.
Modi, a right-wing Hindu nationalist, has used the stadium as a way of projecting India to the world, and putting himself at the centre of a revitalised postcolonial India.
Over 125,000 were in attendance as Trump and Modi showed off the increasingly friendly relations between the two nations.
“There is so much that we share, shared values and ideals … shared opportunities and challenges, shared hopes and aspirations,” Modi said at the rally.
The event was later known for a viral moment where Trump botched the pronunciation of Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Prime Minister Albanese will be hoping to avoid a similar gaffe when he steps on stage for an opening presentation where he will hand hats to players, among a series of other ceremonial events including the national anthems.
He will be joined by a number of Australian business leaders including Qantas chief Alan Joyce, Fortescue Metals boss Andrew Forrest and CBA executive Matt Comyn, as well as Minister for Trade Don Farrell and Minister for Resources Madeleine King.
The presence of Minister King on the trip is no coincidence, with the southern end of the stadium bearing the name of resources tycoon Gautam Adani, himself a name of note in Australia after having opened the controversial Carmichael mine in central Queensland.
Adani has a close relationship with cricket in India and specifically in his home state of Gujarat, which previously saw Narendra Modi as the president of the state cricket association.
Adani owns the Rachael Haynes-coached Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League, and paid top dollar for fellow Aussies Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Annabel Sutherland, Beth Mooney and Georgia Wareham at the WPL auction, on top of the Gulf Giants in the UAE-based ILT20 which included former Australian star Chris Lynn.
Albanese will arrive in Ahmedabad on March 8, on the day of Holi, before moving onto Mumbai and Delhi.
The Australian team were hosted by the Deputy High Commissioner during the Delhi Test as part of the India-Australia Business Council Awards.
Cricket and politics in Australia have always maintained a close relationship, with former Prime Ministers often hopping into the commentary boxes at their home Tests.
Albanese hosted a backyard cricket match at Kirribilli last year alongside NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, and recently tweeted to congratulate the Australian team on their victory in the third Test in Indore.
Albanese said at the Boxing Day Test that a “lack of talent” prevented him from going further in the sport, but insisted he was “really good at catching”.
“I wasn’t a good enough batsman or a good enough bowler,” he said.
Originally published as Anthony Albanese set to open fourth Test at Narendra Modi Stadium
Biggest loser from Comm Games revamp
Cricket’s future in a more “sustainable” Commonwealth Games is murky as other sports also face the chop in a streamlined format.
The ‘toughest’ conversation behind Aussie spin star’s bold switch
Less than 18 months ago after winning his first baggy green, Matt Kuhnemann sat down for the toughest conversation of his career – and it triggered a dramatic state switch.