Australia–India relations (Hindi: भारत–ऑस्ट्रेलिया संबंध), also referred to as Australian-Indian relations, are the foreign relations and both shared this as "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership" between the Commonwealth of Australia and the Republic of India. Before independence, Australia and India were both part of the British Empire. Both are members of the Commonwealth of Nations. They also share political, economic, security, lingual and sporting ties. As a result of British colonisation, cricket has emerged as a strong cultural connection between the two nations, as well as the English language. Military cooperation between Australia and India includes the regular joint naval exercise AUSINDEX.