India Survive Japan Scare In Rain-Hit T20I
India survived a major scare against Japan before scraping home by two runs in a rain-curtailed one-off T20 International on Tuesday, with veteran spinner Axar Patel using his experience to deny the hosts in a tense finish.
Persistent rain reduced the contest to just five overs per side, while moisture underneath the surface produced considerably more turn than expected.
India struggled to adapt, managing only 32 for four after their five overs, with Japan鈥檚 inexperienced spin attack making life difficult for the star-studded batting line-up.
Japan then came within touching distance of a famous upset before Axar Patel closed out the match with a composed final over.
Japanese Spinners Trouble India
After winning the toss, India skipper Shreyas Iyer opted to bat first, but the decision looked questionable as Japan鈥檚 spinners exploited the slow, turning surface.
Left-arm spinner Charlie Hara Hinze removed Abhishek Sharma for a duck after the Indian opener mistimed a slog sweep.
Off-spinner Ibrahim Takahashi then deceived Sanju Samson, who made 10, with flight and turn. His attempted heave ended at the mid-wicket boundary.
Ishan Kishan, who scored three, also struggled to hit against the turn. Benjamin Ito-Davis got his wicket after Kishan ballooned the ball towards mid-off.
Iyer top-scored for India with 16 and managed one boundary, but even he found it difficult to play across the line.
Hara Hinze finished with 2/17, while Takahashi claimed 1/13 as Japan restricted India to a modest 32 for four.
Japan Threaten Huge Upset
The hosts began their chase knowing that a small target could still prove challenging on a difficult surface.
India鈥檚 bowlers initially appeared to have the contest under control, but Japan began closing the gap as the short match reduced the margin for error.
Ravi Bishnoi conceded 10 runs in the third over, while Washington Sundar went for seven in the penultimate over despite taking two wickets for 13 runs.
That left Japan needing eight runs from the final over.
With the outfield slowed by the rain, every run became crucial.
Axar Patel Seals Nervous Finish
Axar Patel was handed the final over and his experience of more than 150 IPL matches proved valuable.
The left-arm spinner gave Shirai Patmore and Benjamin Ito-Davis little room to attack, preventing them from finding the boundaries needed to take Japan past India.
The over also produced controversy when umpire Chris Thurgate called a couple of wides as left-handed Patmore attempted reverse-slog shots and missed.
India captain Iyer immediately complained to leg umpire Chris Brown, with the second wide eventually overturned.
Japan ultimately fell two runs short as India held on for a narrow victory.
The result was largely shaped by the unusual conditions at Sano, where the damp, turning surface transformed the five-over contest into a low-scoring lottery.
Unlike the batting-friendly conditions in Aichi-Nagoya, where India鈥檚 women powered their way to Asian Games cricket gold, the Sano pitch offered little assistance for conventional T20 strokeplay.
Japan鈥檚 three spinners and captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming deserve credit for reading the conditions effectively at a venue where the hosts regularly play their home matches.
