New Zealand PM teams up with 'unbelievable' Kapil Dev for street cricket match against Ross Taylor, Ajaz Patel
A video shared by New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon shows him playing street cricket in Delhi, alongside an Indian legend Kapil Dev.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s ongoing visit to India has already provided cricket fans a few nice moments as the visiting dignitary highlighted the love these two cricket-crazy nations share for the sport. This continued as Luxon posted on social media after playing a game of ‘gully cricket’ in the streets of New Delhi, alongside some local kids as well as a true legend of the Indian game in 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev.
In a video posted on Instagram, Luxon wrote "Working hard in India to hit it out of the park for Kiwis," in a reel alongside Kiwi spinner Ajaz Patel, who hails from Mumbai, as well as legendary former captain Ross Taylor, who has been present alongside Luxon through this diplomatic visit regarding the trade relationship between these two countries.
In the video, Luxon says “This is pretty unbelievable, actually. I’m playing cricket with Kapil Dev, which is pretty special. In the streets of New Delhi, with some amazing young kids who are on a programme about really bringing cricket to their lives.”
“We’ve got Ajaz Patel and Ross Taylor who are playing against Kapil Dev and myself, which I’m not sure is a fair fight,” joked Luxon. “But we’re going to give it a go.”
PM Luxon catches Patel out
Clips in the video show these international stars as well as Luxon himself having a go at batting and bowling alike on the street in early morning sunshine, with Taylor batting as well as standing in the slips, while Dev can be seen posing for pictures alongside many of the young fans.
Luxon also caught Ajaz Patel to dismiss the left-handed spinner, to which Patel responds by saying “I thought I’d just glance it down the leg-side but the PM’s standing there, and he’s just pouched it, unbelievable.” Taylor also complimented the quality of the catch by the Prime Minister.
Earlier on this trip, Luxon had joked with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi regarding India’s recent triumph over the Black Caps in the Champions Trophy final, sharing some banter with the Indian PM.
"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," said Luxon to a positive reception, with Modi sharing a smile, as well as Ross Taylor in attendance.
