New Delhi, April 27 -- Geography may place India and New Zealand at distant points on the world map, but that distance has never defined their relationship. They have common democratic values, strong people-to-people ties and a deep cultural affinity, which includes their shared love for cricket.

Much like their encounters on the pitch, India-New Zealand trade has traditionally resembled a Test match: steady and patient but often lacking in tempo, and has only picked up pace in recent years.

The signing of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on 27 April within a year of the relaunch of FTA negotiations has injected the energy of a T20 game into a long-format relationship-promising faster growth in trade, sharper exchanges i...