India and Japan Set for Historic First-Ever T20I Encounter in Sano

India will take on Japan in a historic one-off T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22, marking the first time the two nations will meet in international cricket.

The match, played under the Suzuki Cup, is scheduled to begin at 9:30 AM IST and will serve as a final preparation fixture for both sides ahead of the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.

The fixture also forms part of Sport 75, an initiative commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan and aimed at deepening sporting ties between the two nations.

India vs Japan T20I: When and Where?

Match: India vs Japan, Only T20I  |  Date: September 22, 2026  |  Venue: Sano International Cricket Ground, Sano, Japan  |  Start Time: 9:30 AM IST  |  Competition: Suzuki Cup  |  Live Streaming: FanCode  |  TV Telecast: Star Sports Network, Star Sports 1 Hindi

India enter the contest as the reigning T20 World Cup champions and the world’s top-ranked T20I side.

Shreyas Iyer will lead India as captain, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain. The squad features the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

India arrive in Japan on the back of a dominant 3-0 T20I series victory over Afghanistan in New Delhi.

India Make Squad Adjustments Ahead of Asian Games

India’s squad has seen a number of revisions from the original selection for the Asian Games.

Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of both the Japan match and the Asian Games due to a side strain, with Vipraj Nigam named as his replacement. Harshit Rana was earlier withdrawn because of a thigh muscle injury, and Yash Thakur has been brought in as his substitute.

Nitish Kumar Reddy has also been pulled from the Asian Games squad.

Japan, meanwhile, will field the same lineup selected for their Asian Games campaign.

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming will captain the hosts and remains Japan’s leading T20I run-scorer. Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki-McComb are the other players in the squad with over 50 T20I appearances each.

India vs Japan Squads

India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam.

Japan: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (captain), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi (wicketkeeper), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wicketkeeper), Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake.

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