Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will attend the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final between India and Australia to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19, Sunday, officials said.
While Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese received the invitation, sources said that PM Albanese appointed Australian Deputy PM Richard Marles to represent him at the match.
Richard Marles is visiting India to participate in the India-Australia 2+2 Dialogue.
Earlier in March, PM Albanese was seen at the same Ahmedabad ground along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the fourth Test between India and Australia. However, this time stakes are much higher.
The highly anticipated showdown between two powerhouses of cricket, India and Australia, is a momentous occasion. The last time these two giants met was back in 2003, when Ricky Ponting’s Australia humbled Sourav Ganguly’s men to lift their third World Cup.
20 years later, Rohit Sharma commands the Indian team while Pat Cummins is leading the Aussies.
While the Indian team reached Ahmedabad on Thursday evening, the Australian team reached the city on Friday.
The Indian team held a practice session at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.
An official release said Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel held a high level meeting in Gandhinagar on Friday to oversee security and and other arrangements for the big match.
The final will start tomorrow at 2 pm (IST), while the toss will take place at 1.30 pm.