If only you had made reciprocal tariff zero, you would possibly have won match: Piyush Goyal to Sergio Gor

Union Minister Piyush Goyal recently mixed cricket with trade diplomacy to press for lower tariffs on Indian goods while speaking at a reception hosted at the residence of US Ambassador Sergio Gor. Referring to the India–US T20 World Cup match, Goyal said the US might have won the game had reciprocal tariffs been reduced to zero.

“The US lost the match by 18 per cent, and a very humble request I made to him, as a suggestion, was that if only you had made the reciprocal tariff zero, you would possibly have won the match,” Goyal said.

Reference to India–US T20 world cup match

Goyal was referring to the India–US T20 World Cup match played on Saturday, in which India defeated the US by 29 runs in the third match of the tournament at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Drawing a parallel, he said the US had lost the match by 18 per cent, which he equated with the reciprocal tariff imposed by the US on India.

Praise for US cricket performance

Despite the loss, Goyal praised the US team’s performance.

“The US may not have won yesterday’s match, but I must say, for a country that has not known cricket and has taken up the game only a few years ago, the performance was fabulous,” he said.

India-US trade deal nears completion

The remarks come as the India–US trade deal enters its final stages. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday that the agreement is in the final phase of detailing and will be completed “very soon”.

Describing his visit to Washington DC as productive and positive, Jaishankar said the trade deal would open a new phase in bilateral ties.

‘New Phase’ in bilateral relations

“The historic India–US trade deal is in the final stages of detailing that will be completed very soon. It opens up a new phase in our bilateral ties, with vast possibilities for the relationship,” Jaishankar said in a social media post.

He added that cooperation on critical minerals is advancing rapidly and that further engagement on strategic issues, defence, and energy is expected in the coming days, indicating strong momentum in India–US relations.