Hope 2015 World Cup final is an India- Australia encounter, says PM Modi at MCG

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Tuesday, said he hoped the final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which is scheduled to be played at this venue, is a match between India and Australia.

"To speak at this magnificent venue comes close to scoring a century against Australia, especially against bowlers of the quality of [Glenn] McGrath and Brett Lee. This is a deserving venue for the 2015 World Cup final. I hope that our two teams will play that match," Prime Minister Modi said to great applause from the assembled.

Speaking of the great rivalry between the cricket teams of the two nations, the Prime Minister recalled how Indians especially wake up early in order to watch matches played in Australia.

"Many Indians wake up early on a cold December morning to watch a 'boxing match' at this magnificent stadium. I know that India has not done particularly well at this ground, but we won the 1985 Champions Trophy here and [Sunil] Gavaskar and Kapil Dev are here, as is [VVS] Laxman, who especially loved to bat against Australia," Prime Minister Modi said.

After his speech, Prime Minister Modi was given a tour of the MCG by his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott. The two leaders also posed with the two world cup trophies that Australia has won, with former cricketers from both nations present, including Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and V V S Laxman.

Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abbott also posed with a cricket trophy shaped like a charkha.

After concluding his visit of Australia, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Fiji as the third leg of his three-nation, 10-day trip.