MUMBAI, May 11 -- Aerospace and defence major Rolls-Royce Plc is borrowing from the India playbook of British energy giant BP Plc as it pursues billions of dollars worth of opportunities across defence, civil aviation and nuclear energy in the country.

To lead that push, Rolls-Royce has turned to Sashi Mukundan, the former head of BP's India business, who spent 24 years building the energy company's partnerships in the country across gas, fuel retail and mobility ventures.

The man who recruited him: Rolls-Royce chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic, who himself spent two decades at BP, including five years leading its downstream business.

"Tufan was also with BP before. He's seen how BP built the relationship in India," Mukundan, now execu...