Australia woos Narendra Modi with cricket diplomacy

Chennai: The Australians are planning to use cricket diplomacy to strengthen ties with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. While the PMs of the two countries, Mr Tony Abbott and Mr Narendra Modi, will be making history in virtual back-to-back bilateral meetings in September and November in India and Australia respectively, the Australians are keen to bring the Bradman Gallery from the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame on a road show to India in 2014 in which the exhibition will be held for a month in each of the cities it tours.

They are hoping that long before the Bradman show hits India, Modi would have paid a visit to the world famous Bradman Foundation’s museum in Bowral near Sydney when he goes to Australia for the G20 in Brisbane in December.

Mr Modi is scheduled to go to Canberra for a bilateral meeting with Abbott before or after the G20 meeting.  Mr Abbott is due to visit New Delhi in September before Mr Modi goes to New York and Washington on his long awaited US trip.

Representatives of the Bradman Foundation are currently on a five-city tour of India to finalise arrangements for bringing over the interactive Bradman show. They are aware that Modi was until recently the President of the Gujarat Cricket Association.

He resigned as Gujarat CA president only when he became PM and is known to be a very keen follower of the game. It would be a great diplomatic coup if Australia can convince Mr Modi to visit Bowral when he goes Down Under in November.

“Bradman is a passport to the hearts of Indians much as Australians love Sachin Tendulkar. We are hoping the connection will see the Bradman Museum in India project is a super hit,” says Mike Coward, a consultant to the Bradman Foundation and renowned cricket journalist. The Foundation’s director Rina Hore reflected the excitement in her organisation about coming out to India with the Museum’s road show.

“The first bat that Bradman used and which was gifted to him by his dad – who also repaired the bat since it was broken – will also be brought out here along with other exhibits. Bradman used that bat for the first three years of his life as a cricketer,” Ms Rina said.

The Bradman Foundation is supported by the government of New South Wales and a fair proportion of the cost of the Bradman India road show would be borne by the federal government of Australia. Sean Kelly, the Australian Consul-general in Chennai, said that history is in the offing with the Abbott-Modi meetings this year.