No Ball! If I Don't Speak Of Cricket In Durban, Says PM Modi: 10 Updates

"Durban is the largest Indian city outside India. It is home to the largest population of Indian-origin in South Africa," PM Modi said in an address to the Indian community at City Hall.

Speaking of what India and South Africa share in common, PM Modi said that it would be a '"No Ball, if I don't talk about cricket in Durban", adding, "The passion and love for this game runs deep in our societies. And, cricket has been an important part of our relations."

PM Modi, on the second day of his engagements in South Africa, boarded a train from Pentrich Railway Station to Pietermaritzburg in memory of the 1893 incident in which Mahatma Gandhi was thrown out of a train compartment because of his skin colour.

PM Modi also inaugurated an exhibition ''The Birthplace of Satyagraha'' in Pietermaritzburg, the place that, he said, marks the transformation of "Mohandas" into "Mahatma".

He visited the Phoenix settlement, a place very closely associated with Mahatma Gandhi's stay in South Africa. He then, in an effort to boost economic ties, attended a meeting of the Alumni Network.

Earlier on Friday, after arriving in Pretoria, he held talks with South Africa President Jacob Zuma and addressed a meeting of business leaders. In the evening, he addressed more than 11,000 members of the Indian community in Johannesburg calling the country the land of Madiba or Nelson Mandela and the 'karma-bhoomi' of Mahatma Gandhi.

The PM is on a tour of four African countries aimed at boosting ties in a region where China has a strong presence. India's economic footprint in Africa is dwarfed by that of China, but it is gaining ground led by private entrepreneurs with a keen interest in the continent's burgeoning energy sector.

PM Modi and President Zuma have agreed to boost economic cooperation and deepen engagement in key areas of defence production, manufacturing, mining and minerals while vowing to cooperate "actively" in combating terrorism.

PM Modi thanked President Zuma for South Africa's support to India's bid for membership of the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG. "We know that we can count on the active support of our friends, like South Africa," he said. There were reports that South Africa was among countries which had reservations about India joining the elite nuclear club.

PM Modi's first stop was Mozambique, where India handed over 30 Mahindra SUVs to the government, completing the delivery of $4.5 million grant assistance as part of supporting institutions in the African country.