Trump struggles to pronounce India’s greatest cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, saying ‘Soochin Tendolker’

Donald Trump’s first official speech in India began with the president struggling to pronounce the names of two of the country’s greatest ever sports stars.

Trump today kicked off a whirlwind 36-hour visit to India at a mega-rally at the world’s largest cricket venue to reaffirm US-India ties.

The president spoke to a huge crowd at the Sardar Patel Stadium, but stumbled over the names of legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Indian national team captain Virat Kohli.

He said: ‘This is the country where your people cheer on some of the world’s greatest cricket players from Soo-chin Tendul-kerrr to Virot Ko-leee.’

Despite the unusual pronunciation, the 110,000-strong audience broke out into applause at the mention of their sporting heroes.

Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the sport and is the highest run scorer of all time in international cricket. He retired in 2013.

Donald Trump speaking at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad where he struggled with the names of two of India’s greatest ever sports stars 

Trump addressing the at 110,000-strong audience at the Sardar Patel Stadium in India today

Trump addressing the at 110,000-strong audience at the Sardar Patel Stadium in India today

Kohli is regarded as one of the current best batsmen in the world and is the captain of the national team across all forms of the game. 

Social media users mocked Trump’s mispronunciation, comparing it to the made-up names on a cricket video game. 

One wrote: ‘Remember the fake names on Brian Lara cricket? This is how they would sound if you actually said them.’

Another said: ‘Soo-chin is already the greatest Korean cricketer of all time.’ 

A Twitter user added: ‘Something about his pronunciation suggests he thinks he’s in China and not India…#SooChin.’

During the public rally in Gujarat Trump was joined by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Trump’s 36-hour visit to India began with a visit to one of Gandhi’s former homes in Ahmedabad where he and First Lady Melania were shown the charkha loom.

Tens of thousands of people packed into the stadium in western India today to welcome President Trump as he began his first official visit to the country at a time when relations that have been buffeted by a trade dispute.

India and the US have built close political and security ties and Trump’s two-day trip is a sign of their converging interests and a way to counter China’s rise as a superpower, officials say.

Trump landed in the western city of Ahmedabad, the political home of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to a raucous welcome, at the start of a two-day trip that will also take him to the Taj Mahal in Agra and Delhi for official meetings. 

Modi embraced Trump he stepped off Air Force One, along with his wife, Melania.  

Trump was mocked on social media for pronouncing the names of two great Indian cricketers

Trump was mocked on social media for pronouncing the names of two great Indian cricketers

Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad at the start of the mega-rally

Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad at the start of the mega-rally

Indian spectators wearing masks of President Trump as Trump gave a speech at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad

Indian spectators wearing masks of President Trump as Trump gave a speech at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium in Ahmedabad

Folk dancers carrying colorful umbrellas danced alongside the red carpet as drummers, trumpeters and other musicians performed on the airport grounds to welcome Trump and the US delegation. 

Hopes that the world’s two largest democracies could negotiate a ‘confidence building’ deal in time for Trump’s arrival have faded in recent days as differences over agriculture, medical devices, digital trade and proposed new tariffs fester, according to business groups.

US concerns that led last year to the suspension of India’s tariff-free access for some $5.6 billion in exports under the 1970s-era Generalized System of Preferences still remain, US officials say.

But Modi, who has built a personal rapport with Trump, is pulling out the stops for Trump’s visit even though prospects for even a limited trade deal were slim.

The cavalcade’s route as it snaked through the city was thronged by tens of thousands of curious onlookers, keen to catch a glimpse of Trump and Modi.

The duo together garlanded an image of Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi after stopping briefly to visit his former home, Sabarmati Ashram.

The rally was a larger version of the ‘Howdy Modi’ rally that Trump and Modi jointly appeared at in Houston to a jubilant crowd of 50,000 Indian Americans last year, where Trump likened Modi to Elvis Presley for his crowd-pulling power.

His entourage includes daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner besides members of his cabinet, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Trump waving after attending the 'Namaste Trump' or 'Greetings Trump' rally at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad today

Trump waving after attending the ‘Namaste Trump’ or ‘Greetings Trump’ rally at Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad today

Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving for a "Namaste Trump" event

Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arriving for a ‘Namaste Trump’ event

Many roads were blocked off in Ahmedabad, shops shut and police stationed on rooftops and balconies. School children boarded buses bound for the stadium shouting ‘We love Trump.’ Others were carrying Indian flags.

‘I have been here since 7am I don’t know how many I have handed out,’ said Durvin Prajapati, a 19-year-old volunteer who was standing on the stadium concourse with a box of two thousand Trump masks. ‘We like Trump: he is good for business’

From Ahmedabad, he heads to Agra for a sunset visit to the iconic Taj Mahal mausoleum, before landing in New Delhi for a summit with Indian officials and business leaders.

The two sides have been arguing over U.S. demands for access to India’s poultry and dairy markets, Indian price controls on medical devices such as stents and stringent local data storage rules that US technology firms say will raise the cost of doing business.

Modi’s government has sought restoration of trade concessions that Trump withdrew in 2019 and greater access to US markets for its pharmaceutical and farm products.

The two countries are expected to announce defence deals including an Indian navy plan to buy helicopters from Lockheed Martin worth $2.6 billion.

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