India edge Japan by 2 runs in rain-hit five-over T20I at Sano
India and Japan met for the first time in a men's T20 International on 22 September 2026. The one-off game at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi was closer than most Indian fans would have expected. Rain delayed the start and cut the game to five overs a side. India won by two runs, making 32 for 4 before Japan finished on 30 for 3 chasing 33.
The fixture was part of the Suzuki Cup, which marked 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan. It was also a final tune-up for both teams before the men's cricket event at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Sano is a small ground with a capacity of about 2,000, a long way from the stadiums India usually play in.
India won the toss and chose to bat. Shreyas Iyer captained a 14-man squad that included Tilak Varma as vice-captain, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. Jasprit Bumrah, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Vipraj Nigam were left out of the eleven, so the Japanese crowd did not get to see the pace spearhead or the teenage batter.
The five-over format did not give India's stroke-makers an easy platform. Iyer top-scored with 16 off 12 balls and was named Player of the Match. Japan's attack stood out, led by Charlie Hara-Hinze, who took 2 for 17 in his two overs. India could not get away and finished with four wickets down.
Japan's chase began badly. Opener Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake was run out for 1 off 4 balls, and Ibrahim Takahashi fell for 4. Captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, Japan's leading run-getter in men's T20Is, held the innings together. He made 12 off 12 balls and put on 18 for the third wicket with Benjamin Ito-Davis. Ito-Davis finished unbeaten on 9 off 8, with Alex Shirai-Patmore on 2 not out.
Sundar was India's best bowler, taking 2 for 13 in two overs and keeping the target within reach but never comfortable for Japan. The hosts needed a late surge to finish the job and fell two runs short.
**What it means for India**
Nothing in the result affects rankings or a series. It was a one-match tour, and India took it 1-0. But a margin of two runs against a side that has never played a full-strength India before will be a talking point. Five-over cricket carries a lot of variance, and on a slow surface a few dot balls or a run-out can decide the game. Japan's fielding and spin bowling held up well under pressure.
The game also gave India a look at its T20 group in unfamiliar conditions before the Asian Games. Tilak Varma's role as deputy to Iyer suggests the team management is spreading leadership responsibility. That the first-choice eleven needed a close finish to win is a reminder that Associate teams are getting better, and that India must treat them seriously.
For Japan, the performance will help in building interest in cricket at home. Their players had said before the game that they hoped a match against India, followed by the Asian Games, would raise the sport's profile in the country. A two-run loss to the world's most-watched cricket team is a result they can build on.
The officials were New Zealand's Chris Brown and Japan's Chris Thurgate on the field. Narayanan Kutty was the match referee.