Soo-chin, V-rot: Trump stumbles over names of Indian cricket greats

US President butchers the names of India's legendary cricketers in a speech in new Motera Stadium

AHMEDABAD: US President Donald Trump gave a special mention to cricket greats Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli during a visit to India on Monday — but it was probably the first time he had spoken their names.

In a speech at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad — the world's largest cricket stadium — Trump incorrectly pronounced the name of India's greatest ever player as "Soo-chin Tendul-kerr".

He almost scored with Kohli, whose first name came out as "V-rot", slightly off "V-rut".

Cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council, jokingly asked on its Twitter account whether anyone knew if "Sooch-", "Sutch-", or other variations of Tendulkar's first name were correct.

Trump said the stadium was "where your people cheer on some of the world's greatest cricket players from Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli," bringing a smile to the lips of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and applause from the crowd.

A shout-out for Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli as President Trump visits the new Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. pic.twitter.com/l2nMnJTOk7

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 24, 2020

The US president also tripped over other words, including Ahmedabad ("Ahba-bard") and tea-seller chaiwalla ("cheewalla"), and he himself chuckled at his attempt to pronounce the name of Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda ("Swami Vivekamandan").