India Survive Japan Scare To Defend 32 In Nail-Biting Five-Over Thriller
India pulled off a thrilling two-run win over Japan in a rain-shortened one-off T20I in Sano, successfully defending just 32 runs in a five-over contest. On a slow, turning pitch where all 10 overs were bowled by spinners, India struggled to find boundaries, with Shreyas Iyer’s 16 off 12 the top score. Japan also found scoring difficult, slipping to 8/2 before recovering to 30/3, leaving them eight runs to get from the final over. Axar Patel held his nerve under pressure, conceding only seven runs and denying Japan the winning runs as India became the first team to successfully defend such a low total in a five-over T20I.
India's Sanju Samson, right, and Japan's Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, look for the ball hit by Kadowaki-Fleming during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
India's Sanju Samson, left, chases a ball batted by Japan's Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, right, during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
Japan's Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, left, bats in front of India's Ishan Kishan during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
Japan's Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming bats against India during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
Japanese players celebrate an Indian wicket during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
Japan's Makoto Taniyama fields the ball against India during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
India's Ishan Kishan bats against Japan during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
Japan's players celebrate a Indian wicket during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
Japan's players celebrate a Indian wicket during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
India's Sanju Samson, left, bats against Japan during the Suzuki Cup T20 cricket match in Sano, Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. | Photo: AP/Tomohiro Ohsumi
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