India escaped a massive upset to beat Japan by just two runs.
In a historic and extraordinarily tense encounter on Tuesday (September 22), the India cricket team escaped a massive upset to beat Japan by just two runs in a rain-curtailed one-off T20I match at the Sano International Cricket Stadium.
A delayed start due to a wet outfield forced the officials to reduce the match to a rapid five-overs-a-side shootout.
Opting to bat first on a turning wicket, India managed to post 32/4 in their 5 overs with only skipper Shreyas Iyer (16 off 12 balls) managing to reach double figures. Charlie Hara-Hinze returned with the impressive bowling figures of 2-0-17-2 for Japan, dismissing Abhishek Sharma (0) and Iyer.
In reply, the hosts gave the reigning T20 World Champions a major scare but eventually fell a couple of runs short of the target. The Men in Blue restricted Japan to 30/3 as Washington Sundar claimed 2/13 for India.
Speaking after the game, Indian captain Shreyas praised Japan for their spirited performance in the historic fixture, which was organized to celebrate the 75th anniversary year of diplomatic relation between two nations.
“First, congratulations to Japan and India for 75 years of diplomatic relationship. It's something that we keep talking about every now and then when we arrive,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
“Talking about today's occasion, it was a long travel for us. It took us three hours to reach here, but at the back of our mind, we had only one thing, that we want to play the game, excite the crowd who has come to see the game and the supporters who've been thriving to see to it that this match was organized,” he added.
The fact that the match took place despite the difficult circumstances, Iyer stated, made the event special.
“So congratulations to everyone who has been present over here to deliver this particular game, and it's come out so fantastic. Even though it was five overs, I personally feel that at least we got a game to see and to honestly experience such a great performance from Japanese team and also Indian players as well. Yeah, overall, I feel it was an exciting game and yeah, honestly they were also brilliant with their performances,” he remarked.
Iyer also expressed his delight on getting the opportunity to lead the T20 World Cup champions and Asian Games gold medalists.
“I think it's a pleasure to be leading the Indian team with the performances you've seen in the past, winning so many trophies. It's a great responsibility as well, but without responsibility, it doesn't come pressure, and I feel that I thrive under pressure.
“So it's a great role for me, and I always feel that the captaincy is something that gets the best out of me, so I'm always loving to explore this,” he mentioned.
The captain emphasized a disciplined, one game at a time mindset as the Indian team now shifts its focus to the 2026 Asian Games campaign in Nagoya, Japan.
“See, that is the eventual goal, but it's important that we take one step at a time. First we go to Nagoya, assess the conditions and have the awareness how the wicket is going to play. I'm sure there are other teams as well who come with the same motive, but for us it's about setting a standard and keep going beyond that and not think about what has happened in the past or what's going to come. So the more we stick to the present, the better for us,” Iyer concluded.