India is set to play a T20 International against Japan on September 22, just days before the beginning of the Asian Games campaign in the country.
The special fixture will be played at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture and will also be an opening event marking the celebrations of 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan. It will also form part of a sports and entertainment initiative aimed at strengthening sporting ties and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations, the BCCI confirmed on Friday.
The match stems from an agreement reached between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the summit. It also takes note of India’s ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036.
The match comes at a time when the Men in Blue have faced setbacks in England and Ireland. The men’s team will enter the Asian Games in Nagoya with a bye into the quarterfinals, with the cricket competition beginning on September 19.
Japan, meanwhile, starts its campaign against Afghanistan in Nishin on September 24. Japan, ranked 42nd in the world, will get a rare opportunity to face India, the reigning world champions, on home soil. For Indian cricket, it means another step into territory where the sport has traditionally had little presence.
BCCI honorary secretary Devajit Saikia described the match as a significant moment for cricket.
“The BCCI is delighted to be part of this historic occasion as the Indian and Japanese men’s teams come together for a special T20 International in Japan,” Saikia said. “This is a significant moment for cricket, as it takes the Indian team to new territory and provides an opportunity to introduce the sport to a wider audience in Japan and East Asia.”
For the Japan Cricket Association, the occasion is about much more than diplomacy. It expects the fixture to attract Indian audiences, including Indian cricket fans living or travelling in Japan, while also hoping to bring curious local spectators to the ground and expose Japanese audiences to the lesser-known game.
India will already have arrived in Asian Games mode by the time it takes on Japan, while the host will be preparing for its own tournament opener two days later.