At a reception hosted by the US Ambassador, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal made a humorous comment linking cricket with India-US relations. He mentioned the T20 match in which the American team lost to India. Goyal said that despite the defeat, the performance of the American team was excellent. He told the stage that America lost the match by about 18 percent margin. In this context, he jokingly told US Ambassador Sergio Gore that if reciprocal tariffs had been reduced to zero, perhaps America would have won the match. The people present at the program laughed loudly at this comment.
Goyal also said in his address that cricket is still a new game in America, yet the team showed a strong game. He appreciated the Ambassador’s role in strengthening India-US trade relations. He also mentioned the recent trade framework in which tariffs on Indian exports have been reduced to 18 percent. He said that this has given India an edge over countries like China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam. The entire event took place in a friendly atmosphere where discussions were witnessed on both business and sports.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday that the trade agreement between India and America would not have been possible without the cooperation of US Ambassador Sergio Gore. He said that Sergio Gore personally played an important role in this entire effort.
Goyal said, ‘I want to make it clear that without his (US Ambassador Sergio Gore) support and his personal leadership throughout the process, this trade agreement would not have been possible. Thank you very much, Sergio, for everything you have done to further strengthen this bond between America and India. He made this statement at a reception organized at the residence of US Ambassador Gore.
#WATCH | Delhi: “…I must place on record, the Trade Deal would not have been possible but for his (US Ambassador Sergio Gor) support, his personal leadership to the entire engagement. Thank you very much, Sergio, for all that you have done to further strengthen this bond… pic.twitter.com/9Hl4J6tDnq
— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2026
What did US Ambassador Sergio Gore say?
At the same time, US Ambassador Sergio Gore said that the White House is focusing on India. He said that the President of America (Donald Trump) is also giving importance to India. Sergio Gore said that this trade agreement was possible only because of the friendship between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi.
Vaishnav also met Sergio Gore
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also met with Sergio Gore. During this, discussions were held to strengthen strategic relations between the two countries focusing on semiconductor and electronics manufacturing.
What did Vaishnav say on meeting Gore?
- Along with sharing the photo of this meeting in a social media post, Ashwini Vaishnav wrote that he expects strong participation of America in India AI Impact Summit 2026.
- He wrote, had a good meeting with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gore. Discussed strengthening strategic ties focusing on semiconductors, electronics manufacturing and supply chain resilience.
Also read: ‘If discussion is not held in Parliament, opposition will suffer’, Rijiju targets Congress
Meeting before India AI Summit
This meeting took place just a few days after the trade agreement between India and America and before the India AI Impact Summit. This summit is going to be held in New Delhi from 16 to 20 February. This will be the largest of the four global AI summits held so far. The event has already garnered significant attention, reflecting the growing international focus on responsible, inclusive and impact-based AI, as well as India’s growing role in shaping the global AI narrative.
