New Zealand Prime Minister: ‘Shared love of cricket’: New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon joins Ross Taylor for a game in Delhi | India News

‘Shared love of cricket’: New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon joins Ross Taylor for a game in Delhi (Picture credit score: X/@chrisluxonmp)

NEW DELHI: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed his love for cricket throughout his India go to by enjoying a pleasant game with kids in Delhi.
In the photographs, the New Zealand PM and former worldwide cricketer Ross Taylor may very well be seen enjoying gully cricket with kids.
Posting on X, Luxon wrote, “Nothing unites New Zealand and India more than our shared love of cricket.”

Luxon’s go to to India, scheduled from March 16 to twenty, consists of high-level discussions with Indian leaders. During a joint press convention with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Luxon humorously acknowledged the aggressive cricket rivalry between the 2 international locations.
Referring to India’s latest victory over New Zealand in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy ultimate, he joked, “I really appreciate that PM Modi didn’t raise New Zealand’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,” drawing laughter from the viewers.
India’s Champions Trophy win on March 9 marked their third title in the match’s historical past, whereas New Zealand had beforehand shocked India with a historic 3-0 whitewash in a house Test sequence in November 2024.
Despite these aggressive clashes, Luxon’s cricket match in Delhi strengthened the pleasant nature of their sporting rivalry.
Beyond cricket, the 2 leaders mentioned methods to deepen cooperation in varied fields, together with defence, commerce, and schooling. They signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on Sports to advertise collaboration in teaching, participant exchanges, and sports activities science. As half of these efforts, India and New Zealand plan to host “Sporting Unity” occasions in 2026 to have fun 100 years of sporting relations.
Luxon’s go to additionally noticed the signing of a key defence pact and discussions on migration, Indo-Pacific safety, and financial partnerships. PM Modi acknowledged New Zealand’s dedication to shared values in regional safety and welcomed its participation in the Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative.