The announcement on October 19, 2020, that India had invited Australia to rejoin the Malabar naval exercises alongside Japan and the United States was a key moment in the evolution of New Delhi’s defence diplomacy. It was a statement of how fearless and committed the Narendra Modi government remains when it comes to securing India’s geostrategic interests. It was yet another reminder that a staunchly nationalistic ‘India first’ is the driving factor behind foreign policy in the Modi era