Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi have been feted in front of a roaring crowd of some 50,000 people at the fourth Australia-India cricket test in Ahmedabad.
The two leaders did a lap of honour around Narendra Modi stadium in a gold-painted chariot emblazoned with bat, wicket and ball to celebrate 75 years of cricketing contests between the two nations.
They also met the players on both teams and presented caps to the respective captains, as well as touring a special cricketing expedition set up inside the stadium before play got underway.
Mr Albanese was beaming at the reception, describing the experience as a "highlight of his life."
The opening ceremony was part of a broader charm offensive mounted by the Indian government, which has poured considerable resources into Mr Albanese's visit.
The prime minister's face has been splashed everywhere in Ahmedabad, a city of 9 million people, for the visit.
It's plastered on billboards every few metres along main roads, on roundabouts, and at the local cricket stadium – the largest in the world – where Mr Albanese's photo towers over the entry gates.
Mr Albanese isn't alone in these photos. Next to him is India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside the slogan "75 years of friendship through cricket".
It's unheard of to see the prime minister's face so prominently displayed at an international sporting event in Australia, in fact, it would probably be frowned upon by many sports fans.
But in India — where Mr Albanese is touring this week — the Modi government is putting on a show.
That show is being put on to send a clear message, that India is ready to embrace Australia.
Inside India's charm offensive
Mr Albanese landed in Ahmedabad late on Wednesday.
Dancers, drummers and acrobats lined the road for his motorcade as it wended its way out of the airport and into the city streets.
And there was real warmth when he arrived at the official residence of the Governor of Gujarat to celebrate Holi – a joyous festival marking the arrival of spring.
Mr Albanese was showered with marigold petals, and his face daubed with Holi colours while diplomats and officials from both countries broke into laughter.
When asked about the massive billboards with his face plastered over them, Mr Albanese joked it would be "hard to not have noticed them".
"Certainly I'm very honoured — not for myself, for Australia," he told reporters.
"It says how valued the relationship with Australia is that the government of India and Prime Minister Modi have put such a major effort into making us feel so welcome."
But perhaps the best showcase remains cricket – a game loved in both India and Australia.
In a nation where the sport is inextricably linked to politics, there's no better place to cement ties between the countries than on the first day of the fourth Test.
The event has been tightly controlled, with more than 2,000 police and security officers deployed to protect the leaders, drawing criticism that it's being managed to present a glorified view of the Indian government.
Test marred by ticket controversy
Access to the cricket has also been a source of controversy.
Tickets were initially unavailable online for Thursday's Test, which had angered fans travelling from overseas.
Tim Hill from the New South Wales South coast had to use personal connections to secure tickets, after travelling around India to watch every other match in the series.
"We were fearful for some days. [The tickets] weren't released at all for day one," he told the ABC.
"I think it sucks … politics and sport don't mix."
The stadium can seat 130,000 people and in the days leading up to the match additional tickets in some small sections of the stadium were made available to the public.
But most of the seats were uncovered, in higher parts of the stadium.
"They're really bad seats," Mr Hill said.
Cricket Australia (CA) tweeted that it was aware Australian fans were not able to secure tickets for the first day.
After pressure, some tickets were released for Australians.
"A box office is being set up at the stadium for Aussie fans to buy tickets," CA tweeted.
Critics say they would be not be surprised if tickets were reserved for supporters of the Modi government, to ensure that his event with Mr Albanese goes smoothly.
The Gujarat Cricket Association's chief executive, Dhiraj Jogani, confirmed that boxes had been set aside for both countries' ministerial delegations, and up to 15,000 seats were made unavailable due to security concerns.
But he denied any other tickets had been held or prioritised for people of particular political affiliations.
"No-one has been blocked and they're permitted to buy tickets online," he said.
The Modi government has a history of carefully managed events for visiting leaders from the West.
In 2020, ahead of then-US president Donald Trump's visit to Ahmedabad, workers were seen scrubbing up the city and hiding slums, while thousands of Modi supporters were put on the streets to cheer for the leader.
"Certain countries get preferential treatment, countries that play out well in the internal domestic media, countries where we can project the idea, however misleading it may be, of shared values," said veteran journalist and political editor of Indian magazine The Caravan, Hartosh Singh Bal.
"I think these are the kinds of visits that are showcased, most certainly the Australian visit fits this mould."
The politics of sport in India
Political parties have had a strong hold over the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), which is linked to the extremely powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The association has the authority to choose players, umpires and officials.
In 2009, before Narendra Modi became PM, he was unanimously elected as president of the Gujarat Cricket Association.
The Ahmedabad stadium is named after him, and Mr Modi was the driving force behind a $145 million redevelopment of it.
After Mr Modi was elected prime minister, his current Home Affairs Minister, Amit Shah, took over as the GCA president. Mr Shah's son, Jay, is now the secretary of the BCCI.
Members of India's opposition party Congress also hold senior positions on the BCCI and have previously held roles on the GCA as well.
"In India, cricket has become politics by other means," Mr Bal said.
"This government clearly sees the power of cricket domestically, and its influence on the Indian public, and it has controlled it in the same fashion as it controls the country and its politics."
Mr Bal said there would be a "spectacle" for Mr Albanese on his visit.
"There are people who would talk of the greatness of Modi, the popularity of Modi, the idea of an emerging strong nation that is taking its rightful place on the world stage [and] a partner of Australia in terms of democratic values," he said.
"All these things are par for the course."
What can Albanese expect in India?
Mr Albanese is in India to strengthen the relationship with Australia by tapping into the South Asian nation's innovative developments as both countries pivot away from China.
But the Modi government's push to control its own image will be an issue Mr Albanese will have to navigate carefully during his visit.
Mr Modi has been criticised for cracking down on the media, recently banning a BBC documentary scrutinising his treatment of the Muslim minority.
An Indian government spokesman has denied there are restrictions on the media and consistently dismissed criticisms of the country's human rights record, saying it "values religious freedom and human rights".
"I think the Modi government would certainly care and would be very discomforted by any focus on these issues," Mr Bal said.
"But I do not see the Australian government … at this point raising these issues because it's not mutually convenient.
"India is increasingly being seen by Western democracies and countries like Australia as a bulwark against China … and part of the bargain is that these countries then pretend and play the game of shared values of how India is the world's greatest democracy.
"That is the part that Modi wants everybody outside the country to wink at.
"And not talk about what is going wrong, whether in terms of the autocratic way in which this government functions, the kind of control it exercises over the media, and what is happening to minorities, especially Muslims in the country."
