Prime Minister Christopher Luxon plays down the wrong line during a street cricket game in India. Photo / Interest.co.nz
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon plays down the wrong line during a street cricket game in India. Photo / Interest.co.nz
Herald political reporter Adam Pearse is in India covering the Prime Minister’s visit.
In cricket, sledging someone better than you never normally ends well.
Especially if that person is a former Black Cap with 18,000 international runs to his name and a penchant for the leg side.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon learned that lesson the hard way when he found himself running in to bowl to Ross Taylor on the streets of India.
No visit to the subcontinent would be complete without a game of cricket. Luxon, a self-professed cricket tragic, was certainly not going to be the exception.
His opportunity came on cordoned-off road in New Delhi, joining a group of keen young players in a quintessentially Indian cricket experience.
Two stacked towers of bricks stood 16 paces apart as the wickets. Chalked lines on the road denoted the popping crease. A world away from the indoor nets at Luxon’s Parnell Cricket Club in Auckland.
A group of young Indian cricketers joined in Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's street cricket game in India. Photo / Interest.co.nz
Usually, a country’s leader is the star of the show, no matter where they are or what they’re doing.
Unfortunately for Luxon, he was quite upstaged by Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev, who left the boys’ mouths agape as the former national captain shook their hands.
A similar reception was afforded to Taylor and current Black Cap Ajaz Patel, who were both part of Luxon’s travelling delegation. As is often remarked in India, cricket players come with an unrivalled level of stardom.
After the formalities, it was down to business. Taylor and Ajaz leading one team, Luxon and Dev on the other alongside freshly minted Sports Minister Mark Mitchell.
Winning the toss and batting first, Luxon stepped up to take the first ball. He warned a group of journalists on his right-hand side that they were in the danger zone. None appeared all that worried.
His first few attempts at striking the ball could be compared to the swinging of a rusty gate, Luxon bamboozled by Patel’s left-arm offspin.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon swings big. Photo / Interest.co.nz
Luxon quickly acclimatised to the pace and bounce of the surface, sending a few lofted drives over the infield before he was caught having skied one delivery into the trees.
Mitchell took his leader’s place. Before the game, Luxon told Dev of his new Sports Minister’s prowess as a member of Parliament’s cricket team, choosing not to mention Mitchell’s preference for rugby. Parliament-based journalists joked that Mitchell’s predecessor, cricket fanatic Chris Bishop, must be somewhere turning green.
Mitchell’s innings was short-lived and unfortunately included running out one of the boys that had joined him as his batting partner. If that wasn’t bad enough, a clip of the incident was posted to social media. One hopes the boy doesn’t have Instagram.
Ex-Black Cap Ross Taylor tries to guide a catch towards Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. Photo / Interest.co.nz
Soon with ball in hand, Luxon rejoiced as he claimed a wicket with his third delivery, helped by a young fielder taking a sharp catch.
Enter Taylor for his second dig with the bat. During the first, Luxon had joked with Taylor about his preference for expansive leg-side shots, usually favoured by less disciplined batters.
“Did I just get sledged by the Prime Minister?” Taylor laughed.
It was no laughing matter as Taylor once again took guard and promptly dispatched Luxon’s next delivery almost onto the roof of a neighbouring house, startling some heavily armed security stationed as lookouts.
Luxon almost redeemed himself with a wicket from his final bowls, fashioning a catching chance for one of his staff who failed to pouch it.
The game ended with the victors unclear. The boys scrambled to get signatures inscribed on bats, hats and shirts. A few even requested Mitchell’s autograph. Some speculated he was being confused with current Black Cap Daryl Mitchell.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon prepares to bowl as Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev (centre) watches on. Photo / Interest.co.nz
With Luxon and his entourage gone, a brief game between the Herald and the Postensued.
Cricket was always going to be the winner on the day but it never hurts to hit your rival for six over the fence.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
