Before the beginning of the Asian Games men’s cricket tournament, India will be playing a first-ever, historic, one-off India vs Japan T20I match, IND vs JPN. This clash will be played for the Suzuki Cup.
The T20I squad of the Indian cricket team, led by Shreyas Iyer, has left for Japan for the Asian Games men’s cricket tournament, which will begin on September 24.
But since India are among the four teams that have qualified directly for the quarter-finals – Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka being the other three – their campaign will begin on September 28.
The decision to play the India vs Japan T20I match was taken earlier this month as the governments of the two nations celebrate the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations.
The match is a key fixture of ‘Sport 75’, which is an initiative born from the agreement during a meeting between Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi and India’s PM Narendra Modi.
The BCCI said that this contest “aims to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in the field of sports, taking note of India’s ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036.”
IND vs JPN: When is the India vs Japan match, and what is the time?
The men’s India vs Japan T20I match is scheduled for September 22 at 9:30 AM IST. It will be hosted at the Sano International Cricket Ground, Sano, Kanto, in Tochigi Prefecture; this is a different venue from the Asian Games, of which both the men’s and women’s tournaments will be played at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. The winner of the India vs Japan T20I will lift the Suzuki Cup.
IND vs JPN: Where To Watch India vs Japan T20I Match? Live Streaming, TV Channel
The men’s India vs Japan T20I match on September 22 will be live streamed on the FanCode app and website at 9:30 AM. It is reported that Star Sports Network will broadcast this match on its TV channel.
Meanwhile, spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the tour of Japan due to a side injury. He’s been replaced by Vipraj Nigam.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been withdrawn from the T20I squad and will feature in the ODI series against the West Indies; a replacement for the all-rounder is not named until now. The BCCI has flown Rasikh Salam Dar, Vicky Ostwal, and Kartik Tyagi as unofficial members of the squad to Japan, and one of them is expected to take Reddy’s spot in the squad.
India squad for the Japan T20I & Asian Games:
Shreyas Iyer (C), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan (wk), Vipraj Nigam
(Replacement of Nitish Kumar Reddy is yet to be announced.)
Japan squad:
Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (C), Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wk), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Kohei Kubota, Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Wataru Miyauchi (wk), Reo Sakurano-Thomas
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.