Japan, India set for historic one-off T20I: Preview and stats
What's the story
Japan is all set to host India in a one-off T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Kanto on Tuesday. This marks the first instance of India taking on an Associate nation in a bilateral match across formats. While the Japanese team sees this as a major learning opportunity, India's Shreyas Iyer-led side will use it as a tune-up for defending their gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games.
Game specifics
Rain threat looms over the match
The match, starting 9:30am IST on September 22, will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network and the FanCode (App & Website).
Expect a run-fest if India bat first as the Sano International Cricket Ground has short boundary dimensions.
However, Typhoon Dujuan is expected to pass near the Boso Peninsula east of Tokyo until Monday evening, with up to 300mm of rain expected in the Kanto region.
India
Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play?
India had picked a full-strength squad for the one-off fixture with stars like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah, and Arshdeep Singh, among others. Shreyas Iyer will continue to lead the side.
India might rest either Samson or Abhishek to play the young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Likely XI: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Japan
What about Japan?
Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, the 30-year-old batter, will lead Japan in the historic encounter. He is also their highest run-getter in international cricket, according to Cricinfo.
Likely XI: Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (captain), Benjamin Ito-Davis, Charlie Hara-Hinze, Ibrahim Takahashi, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Wataru Miyauchi (wicketkeeper), Declan Suzuki, Makoto Taniyama, and Shoma Sugaya-Slater.
Numbers
A look at notable numbers
As per Cricinfo, Japan have a win-loss record of 41-19 in T20I cricket.
Ishan currently has the most T20I runs in 2026 (902). He has a strike rate of 172.46 with a ton and 6 half-centuries.
Meanwhile, Abhishek has a strike rate of 205.24 in T20Is this year. His career strike rate of 194.55 is the highest in the shortest format.
Do you know?
The Sport 75 initiative
The upcoming match is part of "Sport 75," an initiative by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The project aims to strengthen sports ties and human exchanges between the two nations, especially with India's ambition to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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