India vs Japan: All you need to know about the Japan cricket team, key players, recent results and achievements
India vs Japan: All you need to know about the Japan cricket team, key players, recent results and achievements originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- India face Japan in a historic first-ever T20I meeting at the Sano International Cricket Ground on September 22.
- Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming captains Japan and remains their all-time leading run-scorer.
- Japan missed out on 2026 T20 World Cup qualification after an eight-wicket defeat to the UAE.
India vs Japan face-off in a historic T20I clash
India travel to Japan for a fixture that has never happened before at senior international level, a one-off T20I against the hosts at the Sano International Cricket Ground on September 22.
The match falls under the Suzuki Cup banner and doubles as a celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Shreyas Iyer will lead a full-strength India side that arrives as the reigning T20 World Cup champions and the world’s top-ranked team in the format, while Japan field the same squad they have picked for their home Asian Games campaign, which begins two days later on September 24 in Aichi-Nagoya.
Japan’s decision to align both squads means several players eligible for regular T20Is under ICC rules but ineligible under Asian Games regulations have been left out, keeping the group focused entirely on continuity into the continental event.
For a country still building its cricketing profile, sharing a pitch with India’s biggest stars represents an enormous occasion regardless of the scoreline that follows.
Japan X India Cricket Facts
佐野で迎えるこの記念すべき日に向けて、いくつかのクリケット豆知識をご紹介します。私たちは、誇り高きパートナーであるミズノとともに、この特別な瞬間を祝う準備が整っています。#japancricket#クリケット#suzukicup#mizunoindiapic.twitter.com/Oufs8lgW3l
— 一般社団法人 日本クリケット協会｜ JCA Japan Cricket Association (@CricketJapan) September 16, 2026
Japan squad for One-off T20 match vs India
- Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c)
- Charlie Hara-Hinze
- Benjamin Ito-Davis
- Alester Kadowaki-Fleming
- Kohei Kubota
- Jake Kusuda-Nairn
- Wataru Miyauchi (wk)
- Reo Sakurano-Thomas
- Alex Shirai-Patmore (wk)
- Shoma Sugaya-Slater
- Declan Suzuki-McComb
- Tsuyoshi Takada
- Ibrahim Takahashi
- Makoto Taniyama
- Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake
Japan cricket team: Key players to watch out for
Wataru Miyauchi
Wicketkeeper Wataru Miyauchi is one of the most eye-catching names in Japan’s line-up, which will face the mighty Indian side, having produced a quickfire 45 off 32 balls, including three boundaries and two sixes, during their T20 World Cup qualifying campaign earlier this year.
His ability to strike freely from the top or middle of the order gives Japan a genuine attacking option against faster bowling. Meanwhile, Leg-spinner Makoto Taniyama is Japan’s leading wicket-taker and draws inspiration from Shane Warne, giving the side a recognised spin threat capable of troubling batters through the middle overs.
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Jake Kusuda-Nairn
Alongside Miyauchi, rookie spin-bowling all-rounder Jake Kusuda-Nairn has forced his way into the squad on the back of strong domestic form, while veteran medium pacer Tsuyoshi Takada, who has represented Japan since the 2013 ICC East Asia-Pacific Twenty20 Championship, adds experience to the seam attack.
Abhishek Anand
Indian fans will have a keen eye on right-hand batter Abhishek Anand. The Indian origin player, who was born in Bihar, has been representing the Japan cricket team since making his international debut against Cook Islands in May in a T20 World Cup 2028 qualifier.
Since featuring in that game, Anand has become a mainstay in the Japan cricket team and is likely to feature against his country of origin on September 22.
India vs Japan: All you needView this post on Instagram
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Who is Japan cricket team’s captain?
Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming leads Japan into the contest as both captain and the side’s all-time leading run-scorer. Across 55 T20Is, he has accumulated 1,871 runs at a strike rate of 139.41, including two centuries and 12 half-centuries, numbers that place him well clear of any of his teammates in terms of output.
Ahead of the fixture, Kadowaki-Fleming spoke about what facing India could mean for the sport’s growth in Japan, describing the match as hopefully being the first step in a longer history of the national side testing itself against top-tier opposition.
His dual role, leading both the T20I fixture and the Asian Games campaign that follows, places significant weight on his shoulders across an unusually high-profile week for Japanese cricket.
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Japan’s result in the last T20 World Cup Qualifier
Japan’s push to reach the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka ended in the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier held in Oman earlier this year. Needing a strong finish in the Super Six stage, Japan were beaten by eight wickets by the UAE in Al Amerat, a result that confirmed the UAE’s own place at the World Cup alongside Nepal and Oman, who had already secured their berths.
Japan were restricted to 116 for 9 in that match, with Miyauchi’s 45 the only substantial score, before Haider Ali took three wickets to derail the innings. UAE openers Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu then chased the target down inside seven overs with a stand of 70, leaving Japan to reflect on a campaign that included wins over Vanuatu and Indonesia in the group stages but ultimately fell short at the final hurdle. It marked a step back from their best-ever finish as runners-up in the qualifying tournament back in 2023.
Japan cricket team: Latest fixtures and results
Japan enter the India fixture on the back of a narrow home defeat to Hong Kong, going down by four wickets at the same Sano venue just days before the historic clash, having posted 95 for 7 and seen Hong Kong chase the target down with three balls to spare. It was a reminder that even at associate level, Japan’s results remain unpredictable against similarly ranked opposition.
Zooming out, Japan’s overall T20I record reads a healthy 61 matches played, with 41 wins, 18 losses, one tie and one no result, and their form in 2026 specifically has been strong, winning eight of their 10 completed matches this year. That form has lifted them to 41st in the ICC T20I rankings, their best-ever position, underlining just how far the programme has progressed since it first began playing T20 cricket in 2022.
MORE: Laxman, Gautam Gambhir involved in selection tug-of-war over India Asian Games squad
Last five matches, results and form guide
- Japan vs Indonesia (T20 World Cup 2028 qualifier): Japan won by 41 runs
- Japan vs Cook Islands (T20 World Cup 2028 qualifier): Cook Islands won by 3 wickets
- Japan vs Samoa (T20 World Cup 2028 qualifier): Japan won by 9 wickets
- Japan vs Papua New Guinea (T20 World Cup 2028 qualifier): Japan won by 26 runs
- Japan vs Hong Kong (T20 World Cup 2028 qualifier): Hong Kong won by 4 wickets
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