Melbourne, July 9 -- Employing a masterful blend of cultural diplomacy and strategic signalling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday creatively batted for closer ties between New Delhi and Canberra, invoking sharp cricket analogies to map out the rapidly evolving bilateral narrative.

Addressing a joint press conference alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Melbourne, PM Modi emphasised that the sport serves as an enduring bridge of communication between the two Commonwealth democracies, cleverly mirroring the mechanics of the game with high-stakes diplomacy.

"Today, as we are in Melbourne, the sporting capital of the world, not talking about sports would be like winning the toss in a cricket match but never starti...