Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi on Monday, focusing on strengthening bilateral ties. However, as Luxon jokingly noted, cricket was not among the topics discussed. Wondering why? PM Modi burst into laughter when Luxon quipped that he had deliberately avoided mentioning cricket to prevent a “diplomatic incident”, given how the men’s cricket teams of the two nations have traded blows in recent major tournaments.
“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.
PM Modi’s unfiltered reaction reflected his appreciation for the light-hearted cricket banter. Former New Zealand cricketer Ross Taylor, who was part of the visiting delegation, also joined in the laughter at the reference.
New Zealand PM cracks a cricket joke that has PM Modi laughing
“I really appreciate that PM Modi didn’t raise NZ’s Champions Trophy loss to India and I didn’t raise our Test victories in India. Let’s keep it that way and avoid a diplomatic incident” pic.twitter.com/csRYSXb7JW
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) March 17, 2025
India defeated New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final on March 9 to win their first International Cricket Council title in a 50-over event since 2013. New Zealand had been the Holyfield to India’s Tyson in major tournaments. India lost to New Zealand in the semifinal of the ODI World Cup in 2019. The BlackCaps played a decisive role in India’s early exit from the T20 World Cup in 2021.
However, India fought back and knocked New Zealand out of the 2023 World Cup, hammering them in the semi-final in Mumbai.
New Zealand returned to India in 2024 and made history by handing the hosts their first-ever Test series whitewash. A Tom Latham-led side dominated Rohit Sharma’s India, winning all three matches and dealing 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.
Rohit Sharma and his men got their revenge in the 2025 Champions Trophy, completing a double over New Zealand.
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