India are the world champions in T20I cricket. Japan are rank outsiders. But when the two teams met for the first time in a historic T20I in Sano on Tuesday, September 22, sparks flew. A wet outfield robbed a 2,000-strong crowd of 30 overs, but a five-overs-per-side match turned into a thriller. India were pushed all the way by a spirited Japan side, but did just enough to seal a two-run win in the end.
JPN vs IND Scorecard | Highlights
The T20I, staged to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan, was a lovely occasion at the Sano International Cricket Ground. Fans turned up in numbers to watch a full-strength Indian team in action, just days before the men’s cricket event at the Asian Games, which are being hosted by Aichi-Nagoya.
There was music to keep the crowd entertained as more than three hours of play was lost. The sun was shining brightly, but overnight rain had left the outfield wet. That, however, did little to dampen the spirits of the two teams, who were out on the field, going through their warm-ups and interacting with the crowd.
Eventually, the bright sunshine helped the groundstaff get the outfield ready for play, and a five-overs-a-side match was announced.
India won the toss and opted to bat, a decision that surprised a few, considering Shreyas Iyer chose to put his batters in despite having little information about the conditions or the opposition in a rain-curtailed match. More surprisingly, India left out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi again — a decision that even Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming found surprising, as he revealed at the end of the game.
Japan, meanwhile, came out with plenty of energy. They read the conditions well and used spinners for all five overs.
Much to the delight of the neutrals, the Japanese spinners were brave, trying their best to make the most of what Shreyas later described as a rank-turning surface.
India lost Abhishek Sharma in the first over for a duck. The left-handed opener, who had smashed a 30-ball century just a few days earlier against Afghanistan in Delhi, was undone by 17-year-old off-spinner Charlie Hara Hinze.
Ibrahim Takahashi, another off-spinner, then produced the big wicket of Sanju Samson, who made nine. He beat Samson with flight and turn, leaving the wicketkeeper-batter to miscued the ball towards the mid-wicket fielder.
In the next over, another off-spinner, Benjamin Ito-Davis, got Ishan Kishan’s wicket. Another flighted delivery gripped and turned sharply, taking the leading edge of Ishan’s bat.
At 14 for three after three overs, India were in trouble.
There was more spin to come, but Shreyas decided to cut the risks and play the spinners with respect. The approach worked as he made 16 off 12 balls, helping India post 32 for four at the end of their five overs.
SHREYAS IMPRESSED BY JAPAN
“Honestly speaking, it was a very difficult wicket to bat on. We saw the openers as well, who are used to scoring runs consistently, not able to gauge the pace of the spin, and I decided when I got in that it’s important that I need to take singles and doubles and rotate the strike as much as possible,” Shreyas said.
“You see, I always keep saying that five overs game, it can go anywhere. It doesn’t matter how good a team you are, because the oppositions are also competitive, and the attitude and approach the Japanese team showed today was impeccable, and kudos to them. The approach was outstanding. So I’m sure that they are on the right track right now,” he added.
Japan had a golden chance to script one of the biggest upsets in their cricketing history, but India’s spinners stepped up when it mattered most.
When Japan needed eight runs from the final over, Washington Sundar held his nerve and conceded only five, ensuring India survived a massive scare.
Kadowaki-Fleming led the chase from the front, scoring 12 runs after Japan had been reduced to eight for two in two overs. However, he fell to Sundar at the end of the third over, leaving Japan’s chase hanging in the balance.
Axar Patel was the pick of the Indian bowlers, conceding just seven runs from his two-over quota.
JAPAN CAPTAIN THRILLED
Japan had fallen agonisingly short, but their captain was proud of the way his team had pushed the world’s best side. And hearing Shreyas praise Japan’s approach made the moment even more special.
“Yeah, extremely proud, as I think I’ve been saying to a few other guys, that when it gets that close, it’s actually a little bit tougher to take, and the emotions are running pretty high in our group. But the fact that we were able to run the best team in the world, in my opinion, to the last ball of a game is pretty special.
“And to hear someone like Shreyas talking about the progression of Japan cricket is still quite surreal. So, extremely proud of our group and the broader cricket community that we were able to make this game happen.”
– Ends
