The US President Donald Trump has delighted his hosts on his first visit to India, by praising the country and promising to boost trade and curb terrorism.

Addressing a crowd of more than 100,000 in Ahmedabad, he re-affirmed his commitment to India and lavished compliments on his host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Trump's speech at the rally, named 'Namaste Trump' (Welcome Trump), largely consisted of a rundown of his and his host's greatest hits as he listed Mr Modi's economic achievements and called him a "very tough" negotiator.

He was also full of praise for India's innovation and entrepreneurship and won applause when he promised to help curb terrorism on the Pakistan border.

Basking in the adoration of the huge crowd at a new cricket stadium in the city, Mr Trump said: "America loves India, America respects India and America will always be faithful and loyal friends to the Indian people."

The two men are friends and Mr Trump had clearly prepared, throwing in plenty of Indian references, although his pronunciation left a little to be desired.

Some of the crowd who gathered to see US President Donald Trump at a cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, India | Image via @narendramodi on Twitter

He called the Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar "soo-chin" and told the crowd Mr Modi started life as a tea-seller, or "chee-wallah", when the word is chai-wallah.

Mr Modi was similarly complimentary and said India and the US have a "far greater and closer relationship than ever before".

Hundreds of thousands of people, many wearing 'Namaste Trump' hats, lined the streets of the city to catch a glimpse of Mr Trump's motorcade as it left the airport.

Earlier, Mr Modi greeted his guest with his trademark warm hug ahead of a visit aimed at cementing ties between the long-time political allies that have been damaged by arguments over trade.

At issue is Washington's demand for greater access to India's poultry and dairy markets and a loosening of India's pharmaceutical price controls.

Mr Modi's government, in turn, wants to restore the trade concessions that Mr Trump withdrew last year and greater access to US markets for its pharmaceutical and farm products.

The conflict led to retaliatory tariffs being placed on each other's goods and officials from both countries have said talks are unlikely to make progress until after November's US presidential election.

His first stop was the former home of Mahatma Gandhi, where Mr Trump and his host placed garlands on a picture of the architect of Indian independence.

Before Air Force One landed, Mr Trump tweeted in Hindi: "We are ready to come to India, we are on our way, we will be meeting everyone in a few hours", while Mr Modi responded: "The guest is God".

From Ahmedabad, the US president heads to Agra for a sunset visit to the Taj Mahal, before a summit with Indian officials and business leaders in New Delhi.