India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer gushed in praise for the Japan team after India escaped a historic upset on Tuesday in Sano by merely two runs.
The first-ever IND vs JPN match, which was scheduled earlier this month to commence the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the India-Japan diplomatic relationship, threatened to become arguably the biggest shock and upset in T20I history as the 41st-ranked Japan team gave India a massive scare.
The match was reduced to a five-over-per-side contest due to rain and wet outfield before Iyer elected to bowl first upon winning the toss.
What followed was something that nobody could have scarcely expected as the mighty Indian batsmen managed only 32/4 in 5 overs.
That was because the pitch at the Sano International Cricket Ground had become very sticky, and the ball turned square right from the first delivery; Japan bowled all five overs to spin.
The Indian top order comprising Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Ishan Kishan failed to time the turning deliveries.
Captain Iyer realized the difficult nature of the surface and adapted to it, consciously deciding to deal in singles and quick doubles. Iyer scored 16 off 12 balls with only one four; India overall managed only two fours in their innings and not a single six.
Indian bowlers knew the challenge of the assignment they had and bowled well. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar bowled two overs each, with Ravi Bishnoi bowling a solitary over. Japan were one hit away from registering what would have been a famous win over the T20 World Cup winners, but Axar held his nerve in the final over.
India vs Japan: Japan team’s approach was outstanding – Shreyas Iyer
Iyer applauded the spirit and approach of the Japanese players.
Iyer said, “The attitude and approach the Japanese team showed today was impeccable and kudos to them. Their approach was outstanding. I’m sure that they are on the right track right now and they have got a couple more matches against Afghanistan and Nepal. They would be brilliant.”
“You see, I always keep saying that five-over game, it can go anywhere. It doesn’t matter how good a team you are, because the opposition is also competitive.”
The India captain was named the Player of the Match for his innings of 16 (12), which was half the number of runs the team scored.
Iyer spoke about the tricky pitch in Sano: “Well, it was turning square, and honestly speaking, it was a very difficult wicket to bat on. We saw the openers as well, who are used to scoring runs consistently, [but they were] not able to gauge the pace of the spin.”
“I decided when I got in that it’s important that I need to take singles and doubles and rotate the strike as much as possible,” he explained of his method in the middle.
When is India’s match in the Asian Games?
India earned a direct entry to the quarterfinal of the men’s Asian Games cricket tournament. Their opponent is undecided yet. India’s quarterfinal is on September 28. The match will be played in Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, with a scheduled start time of 10:00 AM.
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