India to meet Japan in first-ever T20I at Sano on Sept 22; Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in contention

India and Japan will meet in their first-ever T20 International at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22, in a Suzuki Cup fixture that also serves as preparation for the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games. The one-off match, scheduled to begin at 9:30am local time (1pm IST), raises the question of whether 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be given an opportunity in India’s XI.

Sooryavanshi, who the article describes as having a remarkable rise, did not feature in India’s recent three-match T20I series against Afghanistan despite strong domestic form; he was Player of the Series on India’s tour of Zimbabwe and had a good outing in the Duleep Trophy. Expectations among fans and pundits had been that Sooryavanshi might get a chance at home against Afghanistan, but Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened for India in all three matches instead.

Sanju Samson returned to the side and produced two fifties across the Afghanistan series, while Abhishek Sharma found form, compiling a 30-ball hundred in the final T20I and a 32-ball 82 in the first match at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. Those performances were central to the opening pair selection for the Afghanistan series.

On the decision to restore Samson and Abhishek as openers, head coach Gautam Gambhir said: "I think Samson showed what he is capable of. Someone doesn't become Player Of The Tournament in the World Cup without having talent, so he has done enough. Obviously, it was tough – probably the toughest decision I have taken in my coaching career – leaving him out of that England series because of the way he had performed before that," said Gambhir.

Gambhir also addressed Sooryavanshi’s place in the pecking order, saying: "From Vaibhav's point of view, it is again a very clear conversation that he has to wait for his opportunity. We know the kind of talent he has. We know what he can do. But again, someone who has done extremely well over a period of years obviously will always be ahead of someone who has got into the team. Whenever he gets that chance, you will get a longer run as well," said Gambhir. Gambhir has not travelled with the squad for the one-off T20I or the Asian Games; VVS Laxman, the head of the Centre of Excellence, is accompanying the team instead.

On paper India and Japan sit at very different levels: India are the reigning T20 World Cup champions, while Japan are ranked 41st in the world. For Japanese cricket, the fixture is significant beyond the result because it gives players a chance to share the field with major international names and to present the sport to a broader audience in a country where baseball is dominant; Japan Cricket Association COO Alan Curr said: "The fact that India has agreed to come... I think success is already here," he told PTI. The match is also part of "Sport 75", an initiative promoting exchanges between India and Japan, and Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, Japan's leading T20 run-scorer, will captain the side.

The match will be played at the 2,000-capacity Sano International Cricket Ground, around 100km from Tokyo. Broadcasters and streaming arrangements are in place: the one-off T20I will be streamed live on FanCode and broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Weather forecasts cited wet conditions ahead of the match, with Monday expected to be particularly wet and Tuesday morning mostly dry but with a risk of showers and thunderstorms; the rain could leave the Sano outfield soft and slow, potentially affecting playing conditions.

India’s announced squad for the fixture is: Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Vipraj Nigam, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Japan’s squad is: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Shirai Patmore (wk), Alester Fleming, Benjamin Ito Davis, Reo Sakurano Thomas, Kohei Kubota, Wataru Miyauchi, Declan Suzuki, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, Tsuyoshi Takada, Charlie Hara-Hinze, Shoma Slater, Jake Kusuda-Nairn.

The one-off T20I will start at 9:30am local time (1pm IST) on Tuesday, September 22, at the Sano International Cricket Ground, with live coverage available on FanCode and Star Sports.