NEW DELHI: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in attendance, Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat against India in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Before the toss, the two captains Rohit Sharma and Smith received their Test caps from their respective prime ministers, Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese.
BCCI president Roger Binny felicitated Australia's Prime minister Albanese, while the secretary Jay Shah felicitated PM Modi.
Modi and Albanese also did a lap of honour across the ground to mark the occasion of 75 years of friendship between India and Australia.
Modi and Albanese then went through a few pictures of memorable moments between India and Australia as Ravi Shastri explained them the pictures of some significant events played between the two teams.
1/10:PM Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese watch 4th Test in Ahmedabad
AP
2/10:PM Modi and Anthony Albanese
<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were in attendance for the 4th Test between the two countries. </p>Getty Images
3/10:Rohit Sharma
<p>Before the toss, India captain Rohit Sharma received his Test cap from PM Narendra Modi. </p>PTI
4/10:Steve Smith
<p>Steve Smith received his Test cap from Australian PM Anthony Albanese. </p>AFP
5/10:The felicitations
<p>BCCI president Roger Binny felicitated Albanese and BCCI secretary Jay Shah felicitated PM Modi before the match. </p>AP
6/10:Lap of honour
<p>Modi and Albanese also did a lap of honour across the ground to mark the occasion of 75 years of friendship between India and Australia. </p>AFP
7/10:Toss
<p>Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat against India in the fourth Test. </p>Getty Images
8/10:India and Australia
<p>Modi and Albanese then went through a few pictures of memorable moments between India and Australia.</p>TNN
9/10:Modi and Albanese
<p>Ravi Shastri explained Modi and Albanese the pictures of some significant events played between India and Australia.</p>TNN
10/10:On to the field
<p>Modi and Albanese then walked on to the field with the two captains who introduced them to the players.</p>PTIModi and Albanese then walked on to the field with the two captains who introduced them to the players.
Australia remained unchanged, while Mohammed Shami replaced Mohammed Siraj in the Indian team.
Teams:
India: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wk), R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami
Australia: Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (capt), Peter Handscomb, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann
(With PTI inputs)
(BCCI Photo)
