India Bat First Against Japan in Historic Five-Over T20I at Sano

Rain delays pushed the first-ever India-Japan international meeting to a five-over contest, with Shreyas Iyer's side electing to bat after the toss at Sano International Cricket Ground.

India and Japan are meeting for the first time in international cricket, contesting a one-off T20I at Sano International Cricket Ground in Sano, Japan. The match is part of the Suzuki Cup, staged to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

A wet outfield delayed the toss, with the BCCI announcing inspections at 1:15 PM and later 3:15 PM local time. The fixture was eventually reduced to five overs per side, and India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat.

India have named a full-strength XI featuring Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Arshdeep Singh. Japan, led by Kendel Fleming, fielded the same squad set to appear at their home Asian Games campaign beginning two days later in Aichi-Nagoya.

Conditions were expected to be overcast rather than wet, with temperatures around 27-29°C and rain chances between 25 and 35 percent during match hours, though unsettled weather in the region kept the outlook uncertain.

The on-field umpires are Chris Brown and Chris Thurgate, with Narayanan Kutty as match referee. In India, the match is available on FanCode Premium, Star Sports Network and DD Sports, while Japanese viewers can watch on J Sports, Tochigi TV and the Japan Cricket YouTube channel.