Actress Vidya Balan was in Melbourne a few days ago as the Brand Ambassador for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. And apart from having that honour of being the Brand Ambassador, Balan was also given the prestigious honour of handing the Match Ball to the umpire at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The most interesting part about this event is that not only was Vidya the first Indian to present the Match Ball but also the first woman and first non – former player to have this honour.
Wearing a red saree (no doubt by her favourite designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee), Vidya charmed the Australian crowds as she lifted the Match Ball to a thunderous applause before handing it to the umpire to signal the start of the match between Melbourne’s Richmond Club and Sydney Swans.
The Dirty Picture actress was also presented with a jersey bearing her name and the number seventeen!
Let’s hope she wears it next time on the sports field, instead of a saree!