The toss for the historic one-off T20I between India and Japan has been delayed due to a wet outfield at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22. Despite bright sunshine at the venue, match officials have scheduled an inspection at 9:45 AM IST after morning rain delayed the start.
The fixture marks a significant milestone, with Japan becoming India’s 20th opponent in T20I cricket. Shreyas Iyer’s side will use the one-off match as part of its preparation for the Asian Games, while Japan will get an opportunity to test themselves against one of the world’s leading cricket teams on home soil.
Weather Concerns Loom Over Historic India vs Japan T20I at Sano International Cricket Ground
Japan’s preparations for their historic T20I against India have already been affected by rain. Their second warm-up match against Hong Kong at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Monday was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Weather concerns continued on Tuesday morning, with earlier rain leaving the outfield wet and delaying the toss. However, the match officials have scheduled a ground inspection for 9:45 AM IST before deciding when the toss can take place.
The forecast remains unsettled, with overcast conditions and temperatures expected to stay around 27-29 degrees Celsius. Notably, the chance of rain is around 30-35 percent through the morning before dropping to approximately 25 percent in the early afternoon.
There is no reserve day for the one-off T20I. The match can be shortened if rain causes further delays, with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method used to revise the target if required. However, the minimum number of overs must be completed to produce a result.
Shreyas Iyer-Led India Enter Japan T20I on Six-Match Winning Streak
India head into the fixture on a six-match T20I winning streak. Shreyas Iyer’s side completed consecutive 3-0 series sweeps against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan before travelling to Japan for their final competitive outing ahead of the Asian Games.
India have largely retained the squad that featured against Afghanistan, but they made two forced changes. Varun Chakaravarthy was ruled out with a side strain, with Vipraj Nigam replacing the spinner in the squad.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was also withdrawn from the squad after being selected for India’s upcoming home ODI series against West Indies. The remaining players from the Japan squad are expected to form the core of India’s Asian Games campaign under Iyer.
Japan Bank on Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming and Ibrahim Takahashi Against India
Japan will rely heavily on captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming as they attempt to challenge the reigning T20 World Cup champions. Kadowaki-Fleming is the only batter in the current Japan squad to have scored more than 1,000 T20I runs.
Declan Suzuki-McComb and Ibrahim Takahashi provide further experience, with both having played more than 50 T20Is. Japan also have several spin-bowling options that could play an important role against India.
Takahashi is the leading T20I wicket-taker in Japan’s squad, having claimed 48 wickets in 57 matches at an economy rate of 5.62. However, Japan are without Sabaorish Ravichandran, their overall leading T20I wicket-taker, as he is ineligible under Asian Games rules.
The India fixture will also provide Japan with valuable preparation for the Asian Games. The hosts will face Afghanistan and Nepal in Group A of the qualifying round and need to finish in the top two to advance to the quarter-finals.
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