Ahmedabad gears up to welcome PM Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart ahead of 4th Test

Ahmedabad is all set to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese as special spectators on day one of the fourth Test between India and Australia. PM of both countries will witness a few hours of action on March 9 after featuring in the toss and interacting with the players.

Arrangements for the big day are underway and the stadium complex has been filled with huge hoardings of the two leaders, bearing the punchline “75 Years Of Friendship Through Cricket.”

The hoardings also include former and current stalwarts of both the countries. These hoardings can be spotted all over the stadium including the traditional sightscreen position, the corridors, practice area and other walkways. However, there are high chances of these hoardings getting removed before the start of the match on Thursday.

As per reports, the two leaders might be seen in the commentary box as well, in the first session of the Test. However, no such plans have been revealed by any officials so far but reports have surfaced regarding the possibilities of such an occurence on Thursday. Along with that, a lap of the ground is also planned on a vintage vehicle.

The players are professional enough to handle distractions: Dravid

While on one hand, cricketers from both the countries are busy preparing for the crucial game, on the other hand, carpenters, workers and other officias are hovering around the ground to execute all the arrangements to the T.

When the Indian cricket team arrived for their practice session, carpenters were busy doing woodwork and transforming the existing boards into publicity display boards. Authorities and security officials are keenly supervising every activity to not leave any screw loose as far as the security of both the leaders are concerned. For some time in the morning, sniffer dogs and policemen were also spotted around boundary ropes.

Witnessing these scenes, India coach Rahul Dravid was asked about distractions by a reporter at the post-training press conference.

Replying to the question, Dravid said there is no distraction as the cricketers have played in front of large crowds in the past and are professional enough to handle any such diversion. He also added that the players are focusing on the upcoming game without getting bothered by the activities around.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store