‘As long as someone beats ..’: New Zealand PM jokes while congratulating India on World Cup win

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s funny yet warm message for the Indian women’s cricket team has gone viral after their historic World Cup victory. Speaking at an event, Luxon congratulated Team India for lifting the Women’s World Cup and also slipped in a cheeky line that made everyone laugh. He was speaking in Auckland, where he met India’s Union Minister Piyush Goyal. The two leaders also talked about a possible Free Trade Agreement between India and New Zealand. Members of the Indian community in New Zealand also attended the event.

“I watched the highlights of the match against South Africa, and it was amazing. The Indian team played world-class cricket and truly deserved the win,” Luxon said. “We would have loved New Zealand to win, but as long as someone beats Australia, we’re happy—and you guys did that perfectly,” he joked.

India’s road to the World Cup title was not easy. The team had to beat New Zealand in a must-win match to make it to the semifinals. From there, they produced two incredible performances back-to-back. In the semifinal, Jemimah Rodrigues played a stunning unbeaten century to guide India to a record chase against defending champions Australia.

In the grand final at DY Patil Stadium, India faced South Africa in front of a packed crowd. Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma starred with all-round brilliance as India sealed a memorable 52-run win. The victory gave India their first-ever Women’s World Cup title, marking a historic moment for the country.

With this triumph, India became only the fourth team in women’s cricket history to win the World Cup after Australia, England, and New Zealand.