German Chancellor Olaf Scholz gets 15-minute cricket lesson... and a bat

By Team Newsable | First Published Feb 26, 2023, 6:19 PM IST

On Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is on a short trip to India, paid a visit to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where he interacted with some Royal RCB players and was also presented with a unique cricket bat.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday visited the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru and interacted with men and women players of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) cricket team, which plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Scholz spoke to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials and RCB men and women team members for about 15 minutes.

A German Embassy official said the Chancellor understands that cricket is India's number one passion for sports. "In Germany, cricket is not as popular. Although more than 2,00,000 Indians in Germany are popularising the sport there," he said. So, Scholz desired to attune himself regarding the sport and what cricket means to India, the official added.

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"Moreover, he wanted to understand what the RCB, both the men's and women's team, mean to the city, especially as the RCB women's team embark on the first season of the Women's Premier League," the official further stated. The German Chancellor arrived in the afternoon at the Kempegowda International Airport. Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar, German Consulate officials and Bengaluru Police Commissioner CH Pratap Reddy were at the airport to receive him.

Later, Sudhakar wrote on social media: "Welcomed the Chancellor of Germany, His Excellency @OlafScholz, to Bangalore at Kempegowda International Airport today. It is the first visit from a Chancellor of Germany to India since 2011 when the Inter-Governmental Consultation (IGC) was set up between our two countries." Scholz is on a two-day trip to India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi harboured bilateral talks with the visiting German Chancellor in Delhi on Saturday.

(With inputs from PTI)

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