Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jamaican PM Andrew Holness hailed the ‘cricket diplomacy’ between the two countries on Tuesday and emphasised how cricket’s soft power has played a strong role in strengthening the people-to-people ties between the two countries.

Jamaican PM Andrew Holness lauded India’s prowess in cricket and Jamaica’s excellence in track and field, adding that it provides tremendous opportunities for mutual exchange and cooperation.

Addressing a press conference, PM Holness said, “Prime Minister, you can rely on Jamaica’s continued support and active engagement on these initiatives as well as in the context of the International Solar Alliance. Jamaica’s excellence in the track and field and India’s excellence and prowess in cricket are winning combinations and provide tremendous opportunities for mutual exchange and cooperation.”

“I congratulate India on its victory in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup held in the West Indies in June and its recent gold medal sweep in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad last month,” he added.

He further said that the two leaders discussed collaboration in the field of creative industries, including movies.

“In our meeting, we also discussed collaboration on creative industries. Jamaica recently established a Film Fund, which signals the intent of the Jamaican government to support filmmakers in Jamaica. We acknowledge the tremendous success of Bollywood and look forward to the collaboration between the Indian film industry and hundreds of filmmakers in Jamaica,” the Jamaican PM stated.

Prime Minister Modi also elaborated on the strong people-to-people ties between the two nations and also emphasised the high regard for Jamaican cricketers among Indian fans and affirmed confidence that the ties between the two countries will move faster than ‘Usain Bolt’ now.

“India-Jamaica ties are based on our shared history, democratic values and strong people-to-people ties. It is marked by 4 Cs — Culture, Cricket, Commonwealth and CARICOM (Caribbean Community). In today’s meeting, we discussed strengthening our cooperation in all these fields and identified new initiatives,” PM Modi said.

“Like cricket-loving nations, sports has been a very strong and important connecting link between our ties. Whether it is the legendary fast bowling of Courtney Walsh or the quickfire batting of Chris Gayle, Indians have had special regard for Jamaican cricketers. We also discussed deepening of our ties in sports. I have a firm belief that the outcomes from today’s discussions will push our ties faster than ‘Usain Bolt’ and we will keep touching newer heights,” he added.

Later in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs emphasised that a lot of discussion between the two Prime Ministers centered around cricket and how many Jamaican cricketers are so popular among Indian fans. The Jamaican PM also thanked India for its contribution to the scoreboards and floodlighting in the Sabina Park stadium in Jamaica.

“A lot was discussed regarding cricket; in fact, Chris Gayle was there at the Prime Minister’s lunch as well, and so there was plenty of discussion about cricket and the contributions.

of Jamaica to the world of cricket and how there are such icons of cricket as Courtney Walsh and Chris Gale are so popular in India… I would say in all the meetings, cricket did come up as a natural subject for discussion,” he said.

“PM Holness expressed his deep appreciation for India’s contribution to the scoreboards on Sabina Park and also the flood lighting that is being done there,” Mazumdar said.

The Jamaican PM is on an official visit to India from September 30-October 3. This is his first visit to India, and also the first-ever bilateral visit of a Prime Minister of Jamaica to India.

He arrived in New Delhi on Monday at the invitation of PM Modi. Union Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, warmly received the Jamaican PM at the airport. He will head to Sarnath and will also attend

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Jamaican counterpart Andrew Holness at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday. The bilateral meeting was followed by delegation-level talks between the two leaders.

India and Jamaica share strong historical and cultural linkages, reflected in their shared colonial past, values of democracy and freedom, and passion for cricket, according to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.

This visit is expected to bolster bilateral relations, enhance economic cooperation, and solidify the longstanding bonds between Jamaica and India.