The New Zealand Prime Minister said he had deliberately avoided talked about cricket to prevent a “diplomatic incident” as Modi burst into laughter. Recently, India beat New Zealand in the final of Champions Trophy, while the Blackcaps handed the Men in Blue their first home Test series defeat in 12 years.
“I really appreciate that PM Modi didn’t bring up New Zealand’s Champions Trophy loss to India, and I didn’t mention our Test victories in India. Let’s keep it that way and avoid a diplomatic incident,” Luxon joked, drawing cheers from the room.
Former New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor, part of the visiting delegation, also joined in the laughter along with Modi at the reference.
In recent major tournaments, India and New Zealand have beaten each other in key matches. India won the Champions Trophy on March 9 by defeating the Kiwis, while New Zealand had beaten India in the semifinal of the ODI World Cup in 2019. The Blackcaps also played a decisive role in India’s early exit from the T20 World Cup in 2022.
However, India fought back and knocked New Zealand out of the 2023 World Cup, handing them a semifinal defeat in Mumbai.
New Zealand returned to India in 2024 to made history by becoming the first visiting nation to beat India in a Test series in 12 years. The Tom Latham-led side registered their first ever Test series win in India by dominating Rohit Sharma’s India. They won all three matches, which was a major blow to India’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final. India eventually missed out on a spot in the final after a 1-3 series defeat in Australia earlier this year.
