Prince Henry and his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, visit Gandhi Ss
Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, visit Gandhi Smriti 

NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — To inaugurate their trip to India, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge played cricket with one of the country’s biggest stars, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, in a Mumbai park as they began their royal tour of India and Bhutan on Sunday.

As a crowd assembled around them in Mumbai’s Oval Maidan recreation ground, Kate wielded a cricket bat as the former Indian captain bowled to her.

Prince William, a noted fan of the sport, took his turn in the batting crease. The couple participated in a number of sporting activities with a group of local children.

Before the sporting began, the couple first paid a visit to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and laid a wreath in memory of the Mumbai terrorist attacks — dozens of victims were killed during the attack, which spanned three days in 2008 and was executed by Islamist terrorists. Additionally, they met with hotel staff who helped protect guests during the attacks, Kensington Palace said on its Twitter feed.

Upon arriving in Mumbai, William and Kate were informed of the deadly temple fire in Kollam, where 112 were reported dead. The Duke and Duchess were “saddened by the news and send their thoughts to all who are assisting the victims,” a spokesman for Kensington Palace said.

After the sporting activities ended, the couple then visited the city’s ancient Banganga water tank, where they were greeted with dancers, and presented with garlands to scatter on the water.

In the evening, they were scheduled to attend a Bollywood gala, to fundraise for charities they had met with during the day. The remainder of their trip will see the Duke and Duchess pay a visit to the country’s capital city, New Delhi, Kaziranga National Park in the state of Assam, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, and Agra, home of the Taj Mahal.

The tour is coming on the heels of criticism in Britain’s tabloids that Prince William was slacking off from his responsibilities as a senior royal. Last month, his younger brother, Prince Harry, made a five-day visit to the neighboring Himalayan nation of Nepal.