'Shared passion': Cricket centre stage for Albo-Modi MCG visit

For cut-through in the middle of footy season, it perhaps won't get any better for Australian cricket than today at the MCG.

With Australian rules football goal posts entrenched in the ground behind them, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked side-by-side with Aussie cricket greats Steve Waugh and Pune-born Lisa Sthalekar across the hallowed turf on a cold July morning.

While the leader of the world's largest democracy was handed a Sherrin inscribed with 'PM Modi' on one of its cheeks, football was secondary during Friday's events at Melbourne's iconic ground – second only in size among cricket venues to the one named after him in his home state of Gujarat.

Cricket is the game that binds both nations and Modi looked at ease chatting with Waugh, Sthalekar and Melbourne Renegades captain Will Sutherland.

He made special mention of Australia's women's team's T20 World Cup triumph last Sunday, adding cricket had always been a "natural connecting point" with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

The pair watched some of the fourth Test together in Ahmedabad in 2023 after a memorable ride around the ground in a 'bat-mobile'.

"For any Indian, coming to the MCG evokes two emotions at the same time," Modi said. "The first is the thrill of an India-Australia cricket match; the second is the realisation that in both countries, cricket is not just a sport, it's a shared passion."

It's clear both governments want cricket to strengthen the relationship between the two nations. Modi had likened their shared agenda to an ODI, the pace of decisions to a T20, and the history of their "partnership" to a Test.

Alongside talks with Albanese on Australia-India defence and security cooperation, nuclear energy, technology and education, Modi's whirlwind three-day state visit coincided with confirmation of the Big Bash League's first ever match in India.

Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers will play in Chennai on December 12.

"For any sporting league, staging an event in India guarantees tremendous reach and viewership," Modi said. "I am delighted that a Big Bash League match will be held in Chennai.

"India will host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and we are also making every effort to host the Olympic Games in 2036 (after) Brisbane in 2032.

"Preparing for these global sporting events will require the creation of sports infrastructure on a massive scale. This means that in the years ahead, we will have many opportunities to learn from one another and work together."

Amid the whackier moments of the MCG visit, which saw Modi high-five a giant kangaroo mascot and sign the shirts of kids brought along to showcase the two sports, cricket was at the forefront.

Albanese revealed a senior business delegation would accompany the Renegades and Scorchers teams to Chennai, with the match to kick off a week-long 'G'Day Namaste' festival of Australian sport, culture and business engagement.

"In both our countries, sport is a serious business," Albanese added.

It's a bilateral relationship that's come a long way since Waugh first toured there in 1986. The legendary former Test skipper admitted Aussie players had taken a "siege mentality" to India such was their unfamiliarity with the subcontinent.

Through cricket and his passion for photography, Waugh has been a major voice in changing that mindset among Australians. Albanese credited him as a pioneer that has helped showcase the "real India".

"I've been going there 40 years, it's like my second home," Waugh said.

"It's always different and being a bit of a photographer, it's a fascinating place to be. I've seen over that period of time how the countries have really grown together and worked together in building that relationship up, which is really strong now."

By becoming the first foreign cricket league to stage a Big Bash match in India, Cricket Australia may well have already achieved its aims. It adds a new chapter to Australian cricket's rich history in Chennai where Waugh, when the city was called Madras, played in the memorable tied Test 40 years ago.

CA is confident the Renegades-Scorchers game will be the most-watched Australian domestic sports match in history, eclipsing this week's rugby league state of origin decider that was viewed by more than 6 million people.

It is also optimistic about filling the 38,000-seat MA Chidambaram Stadium in what could be an annual affair that will help the league strengthen ties with the millions of BBL fans already in India and tap into their immense commercial value.

And now the AFL is hoping to follow in cricket's footsteps as it seeks to grow its footprint to 100,000 participants in India, the sport's fastest growing region outside Australia.

As it stands, it has some catching up to do.