Japan host India in a one-off T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Kanto, with the match getting underway on Tuesday the 22nd of September 2026. It is a genuinely historic occasion, as these two sides have never met in international cricket before, making this the first encounter between the nations in any format.
The Sano International Cricket Ground has not previously hosted a full member nation, but it has seen a decent amount of T20I cricket in recent years. Looking at the numbers from the last six matches played here, four of them were won by the team that batted first. That is a pretty clear signal that the surface tends to hold its pace and offer something to batters throughout the innings. Whoever wins the toss on Tuesday will almost certainly want to set a total rather than chase one. Expect a wicket with reasonable bounce and carry, though not one that will dramatically assist the seamers from ball one.
There is simply no head-to-head record to speak of here. Japan and India have never faced each other in any format of international cricket, so Tuesday’s match writes the first line in what will hopefully become a longer rivalry. Every result between these two sides from here on in starts with this game.
Japan: Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (C), Benjamin Ito-Davis, Charlie Hara-Hinze, Ibrahim Takahashi, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Wataru Miyauchi (WK), Declan Suzuki-McComb, Makoto Taniyama, Shoma Sugaya-Slater
India: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi
Abhishek Sharma is in the sort of form that makes opposition bowlers nervous before they even walk out to bowl. He was the standout performer in the series against Afghanistan, winning Player of the Series honours and setting a remarkable record in the process, reaching the fastest T20I century by a batter from a Test-playing nation off just 30 deliveries. Japan will have no real template for dealing with someone in that kind of touch, and Sharma looks well placed to punish any wayward bowling.
Jasprit Bumrah was back in competitive action against Afghanistan and looked like someone who had never been away. His rhythm was sharp, his execution was precise, and there was nothing about his bowling that suggested any ring rust whatsoever. A Japan batting line-up that will have very little experience of facing someone of his calibre is going to find him a serious handful at Sano.
India are miles ahead of Japan in terms of experience, quality and depth. Shreyas Iyer has a squad packed with match-winners across all three disciplines, and with the Asian Games on the horizon, this group will be motivated to put in a professional and dominant performance. Japan deserve enormous credit for hosting this fixture and will fight hard, but the gulf between these sides is significant. India should win this comfortably.
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