What is the significance of the T20I match between Japan and India?

The T20I match between Japan and India is significant as it celebrates 75 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. It's an opportunity for Japan to showcase its cricketing ambitions against the reigning T20 world champions.

How has Japanese cricket evolved in recent years?

Japanese cricket has seen significant growth in the last decade, with registered players increasing from 3,000 to 8,800. This expansion is reflected in the rise of domestic tournaments and notable improvements in the national team's performance.

What challenges does cricket face in gaining popularity in Japan?

Cricket in Japan faces challenges due to the entrenched Bhukatsu school system, which encourages early specialization in one sport. Additionally, limited school participation in cricket makes it harder for the sport to gain mainstream recognition.

‘Want to show we can compete’: Japanese players look to impress ahead of historic 75-year tie vs Shreyas Iyer's India

While Shreyas Iyer’s team is the overwhelming favourite, Japan players are looking to take on the challenge and give a good account of themselves.

Updated on: Sep 21, 2026, 16:09:06 IST

Written by Prateek Srivastava

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Japan allrounder Benjamin Ito-Davis is looking forward to the historic tie against T20 world champions India at Sano on Tuesday. The match is being held to celebrate 75 years of India-Japan diplomatic ties.

Benjamin Ito-Davis (second from left) is fixated on the upcoming game. (Japan Cricket Association)

Both teams are at different ends of the spectrum. Japan are currently 41st in the ICC rankings, and India were only recently displaced from the top position by England. There are not even remote comparisons, but as far as Ito-Davis is concerned, Japan are looking to challenge India and make an impression.

"I can't wait to just get out there, take on the challenge and I'm really looking forward to it," Ito-Davis told ICC Digital.

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"To represent Japan on the global stage and promote cricket in Japan is something I'm really honoured and proud to do. As a team, we want to show that we can compete against a team like India and show that Japan spirit, the Japan way, but also play in a fair and respectful way.”

Also Read: India look to Shafali Verma, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur for back-to-back Asian Games gold medals

He added, "If I'm able to maybe inspire a Japanese kid to play cricket, boy or girl, to try cricket for the first time, that would be my greatest success story. A chance to promote the game even more (in Japan) is my goal.”

The Indian men’s team under new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer will begin their Asian Games campaign on September 28. They are already in the quarterfinals and will know who they are going to play only after the group stage which kicks off on September 24. So, the historic 75-year relationship match has been nicely planned. This was the only way Japan could line up against three-time T20 World champions India. Naturally, the players are very excited.

Jake Kusuda-Nairn is another all-rounder setting his sights on the match. His sister, Elena, a few days ago witnessed the Asian Games women’s India-Japan game from the dugout, having been unable to make it to the Playing XI. Kusuda-Nairn, who hopes to get the wicket of teenage India batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi tomorrow, has received advice from Elena ahead of the match. "She just told me to take everything in and enjoy myself out there. I'm just going to take it one ball at a time. A couple of wickets would be nice," he said.

Earlier this year, Japan registered their first-ever win at the Under-19 World Cup. In fact, this was their first-ever across teams at a global event. Kusuda-Nairn is happy that Japanese cricket is on the way up. "Even from a couple of years ago, the growth has been incredible. The U19s doing well at the World Cup has definitely boosted Japan cricket. The media following, even the comments about how they love our jersey (have been positive)," he said.

The match will kick off at 09:30 am (IST).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prateek Srivastava
Prateek Srivastava is a senior sports journalist having been in the profession for two decades now. He started his print career with the India Today Group and later also worked for the Asian Age. In 2009, sensing the wind of change, he switched to the digital media and joined Mobile ESPN. There, he covered the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 Hockey World Cup as a venue reporter. He did plenty of voice-over work too, over there. After leaving Mobile ESPN, Prateek went on to work for Cricketnext, Gocricket and Cricbuzz. At Gocricket (Times Internet Limited), he covered the 2014 T20 World from Bangladesh. There he also received a team leadership award, given at the end of the month. Prateek has also covered the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, this time working for Sportz Interactive. He also worked for Chinese giants Alibaba over two years and led their ""Short News"" content team at UC Browser. While cricket is Prateek’s expertise, he has also done a lot of golf. In fact, he has covered India’s first two European Tour events back in the late noughties. He has also done extensive writing on football having been associated with the Indian Super League for three seasons. Finally, Prateek is a literature aficionado and swears by Philip Roth and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and when he doesn’t joke, he is usually quiet and at work.Read More

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