PM Modi, Australian PM Anthony Albanese celebrate 75 years of friendship 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad to mark ’75 years of friendship’ between the two countries. Australia captain Steve Smith chose to bat first against India at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Both prime ministers were greeted with applause as they took a lap of honour around the massive sports arena to commemorate 75 years of friendship between India and Australia. The hosts only made one change, with Mohammed Shami replacing pacer Mohammad Siraj, who was rested due to his workload. Australia’s winning team was unchanged from the third Test.

India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Srikar Bharat(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav. Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith(c), Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon.

On Thursday, Albanese acknowledged India’s “ambitious goals” in renewable energy which, according to him, offer a massive “opportunity for Australian resources, expertise and manufacturing.” Furthermore, the Australian leader addressed the media after the landmark investment in Australian manufacturing jobs was cleared by the House of Representatives.

Albanese, who is currently in Ahmedabad, visited India on Wednesday for the first time since 2017. On Thursday, he will relish watching a cricket match with PM Modi at the Narendra Modi Stadium. His next pitstop is the city of Mumbai, where he would become the first foreign leader to be given a tour of INS Vikrant, the indigenously produced aircraft carrier of India which was commissioned into the Navy last September.

Next stop: New Delhi 

Finally, the PM will visit the Indian capital of New Delhi for a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rajghat, and a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Moreover, he will also hold meetings with PM Modi at the Hyderabad House and with President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan before finally concluding his four-day state visit.

“PM Modi and Prime Minister Albanese will hold the Annual Summit to discuss areas of co-operation under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, besides regional and global issues of mutual interest,” reads an excerpt from a press release issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).