A meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his New Zealand counterpart, Christopher Luxon, took a lighthearted turn when cricket became the topic of discussion. Luxon humorously remarked that he intentionally avoided mentioning the Champions Trophy 2025 final to prevent any “diplomatic incident.” This came in reference to India’s victory over New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 final held in Dubai.
Luxon also playfully brought up New Zealand’s 3-0 Test series victory in India the previous year, which had dashed India’s hopes for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final.
“I’m truly grateful that Prime Minister Modi didn’t bring up New Zealand’s loss to India in the Champions Trophy, and in return, I refrained from mentioning our Test series wins in India. Let’s keep the peace and avoid any diplomatic friction,” Luxon quipped, eliciting laughter from PM Modi.
Former New Zealand cricket player Ross Taylor, who was also present, seemed to enjoy the friendly banter between the two leaders.
Luxon further acknowledged the Indian cricket team’s impressive performance lately.
“Under PM Modi’s leadership, the Indian cricket team has been a dominant force, most recently winning the Champions Trophy in Dubai against my team, the New Zealand team. This victory, of course, saddened many New Zealand fans, myself included. However, in the spirit of good sportsmanship, congratulations to India,” Luxon stated, according to PTI.
