How Japan took India to the final ball after a typhoon soaked the Sano cricket ground

Japan came within two runs of beating India on 22 September at Sano International Cricket Ground, north of Tokyo, in a match cut to five overs per side after Typhoon Dujuan soaked the venue. The Japan Cricket Association records India’s 32 for four and Japan’s 30 for three. Reporting published by the Guardian on 30 September adds an account of the work and diplomatic contacts that helped bring the fixture to Sano.

The result was already known. NewsJaws’ earlier report covered India’s narrow win; the new account describes how the game was arranged and how crews made play possible after the storm. The Guardian describes Japan as the world’s 41st-ranked side and India as the T20 world champions.

How the five-over match reached the final ball

According to the Japan Cricket Association’s match report, Charlie Hara-Hinze dismissed Abhishek Sharma with the sixth ball of India’s first over. Ibrahim Takahashi removed Sanju Samson two balls later. Benjamin Ito-Davis then bowled five scoreless balls in the third over and dismissed Ishan Kishan, leaving India 14 for three after three overs. Captain Shreyas Iyer made 16 from 12 balls as India reached 32 for four.

Japan needed 33 to win. The association says Ishan Kishan ran out Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake with a direct hit, but the chase stayed close. Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming and Ravi Bishnoi combined for ten runs in Japan’s third over, leaving 15 needed from 12 balls. Japan scored seven from the first four balls of the fourth over before Washington Sundar dismissed Kadowaki-Fleming. Eight were needed from the final over.

Typhoon Dujuan’s effect on the Sano ground

The danger to the fixture was apparent before the teams played. On 21 September, Hindustan Times reported that adverse weather had forced India to abandon a practice session and left the Sano outfield saturated. It also reported that Japan’s second T20 international against Hong Kong at the same ground had been abandoned without a toss on 20 September because of conditions.

The Japan Cricket Association says Typhoon Dujuan hit Japan the day before the India match, soaking the ground. Its staff and volunteers worked through the day and night to prepare it. The Guardian reports that about 200 volunteers worked in shifts overnight, removing water from the covers and outfield with sponges and shovels. A late inspection allowed play, but the planned contest was reduced to five overs per side.

That reduction shaped the contest. With only 30 legal deliveries available to each team, India’s early wickets left little time to rebuild, while Japan’s chase remained within reach until the final ball. The match that took place was much shorter than the one scheduled, but its completion followed days of uncertainty about whether the ground would be fit for play.

How Japan arranged a match against India

The Guardian’s account traces the fixture to Japan Cricket Association chief executive Naoki Alex Miyaji and his colleagues. Miyaji told the newspaper that playing India had initially seemed like a dream, although people he approached at International Cricket Council events were supportive. Japan’s hosting of cricket at the 2026 Asian Games gave administrators another reason to prepare a suitable surface at Sano.

According to the Guardian, groundsman Mahesh Bopage helped rebuild the Sano pitch using locally sourced clay selected for the Asian Games. The newspaper also reports that Japan’s foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, and India’s external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, exchanged cricket-themed gifts during a January visit. The match was discussed in the context of the countries’ 75-year diplomatic anniversary. Those details about the pitch and diplomatic contacts come from the Guardian’s reporting.

The Japan Cricket Association calls the match the start of celebrations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and India. The Guardian says Suzuki Motors became its main sponsor and tickets priced at ¥10,000 sold out in three hours. It puts attendance at 2,149; the association describes a crowd of about 2,000. Both accounts indicate an audience far beyond the players on the field, though the precise attendance figure comes from the Guardian.

The association also says its English- and Japanese-language YouTube feeds reached more than two million viewers. That is the association’s own audience figure. The Guardian quoted Indian supporter Ravi, who travelled from Shizuoka, saying he was proud of Japan’s performance. It also reported Sachin Tendulkar’s response on X: ‘There’s something very special about watching cricket find new homes.’