The Men’s Japan National team came within just two runs of causing the greatest upset in the history of cricket as India lifted the inaugural Suzuki Cup.
The match was reduced to five overs after typhoon Dujuan hit Japan the day prior, leaving the entire ground soaked through and in need of round-the-clock work by the JCA staff and some dedicated volunteers.
After India won the toss and chose to bat, it was Japan who took the early initiative. First teenage spinner Charlie Hara-Hinze struck with the sixth ball of the opening over to remove Abhishek Sharma, before Ibrahim Takahashi dismissed Sanju Samson two balls later.
The third over from Benjamin Ito-Davis then bowled five balls without conceding a run, and also removed the number one ranked batter in the world, Ishan Kishan to leave India shellshocked at 14 for three after three overs.
Captain Shreyas Iyer made a critical 16 from 12 balls to lift his teams total to 32 before Hara-Hinze tempted him to put one into the hands of Makoto Taniyama and then closed out the innings to leave Japan with 33 needed to make history.
A direct hit run out from Kishan sent Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake back to the dugout before Ibrahim Takahashi earned cheers from the 2,000 strong crowd with a boundary off Washington Sundar.
The third over of the innings brought Japan back into the contest, as Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming and Ravi Bishnoi combined to take ten from it which left Japan needing 15 runs from 12 balls.
They took seven off the first four balls of the fourth over but the dismissal of Kadowaki-Fleming to a thick edge off Sundar left the hosts needed eight runs from the last.
The task was a bridge too far as Axar Patel held his nerve to close out the win and spark joyous scenes around the ground from the Indian fans.
The match, organised to launch the start of the 75 Year Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Japan and India, will stand as a key moment in the development of Japan Cricket with the JCA YouTube feeds reaching more than two million viewers across English and Japanese commentary.
The JCA has many people to thank for making this match possible, not least our own staff and consultants, the local community and the cricket community who provided the manpower to transform the ground, and the BCCI themselves for agreeing to play the fixture.
There is no rest for the Men’s Japan National Team, who travelled directly to Nagoya after the match and take on Afghanistan tomorrow in their first match at the Asian Games.
Suzuki Cup: Japan v India
Gallery
