Umpires overturn Axar Patel wide call in India's two-run win over Japan

A wide against Axar Patel was changed to a legal delivery after on-field officials consulted during Japan's chase in Sano, and the ruling proved decisive.

India held off Japan by two runs in a five-over T20I played in Sano, defending a total of 32 and limiting Japan to 30 for nine. Axar Patel bowled the last over of the chase, which ended with a disputed umpiring decision that was ultimately overturned.

Batting in that final over, Japan's Alexander Shirai-Patmore twice attempted reverse sweeps against Axar without making contact, and both deliveries down the leg side were initially signaled as wides. After the second call, wicketkeeper Sanju Samson and Axar voiced their displeasure, and Shreyas Iyer approached square-leg umpire Chris Brown as the officials spoke with one another.

The question at the center of the discussion was whether Shirai-Patmore had shifted his stance before Axar released the ball. Under T20I wide rules, a delivery that travels past a batter who has moved across the stumps can be judged legal rather than called wide, provided the movement occurred before the point of delivery.

Following the consultation, the officials changed the second wide to a legal delivery. The decision removed one run from Japan's tally in a match India won by a margin of just two, making the reversal consequential to the final result.

The match marked Japan's first T20I against a full member nation, and it went down to the final over before India secured the narrow victory.