India to play Japan in historic one-off T20I at Sano with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in contention

India and Japan will meet in a T20I for the first time at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22, in a Suzuki Cup fixture that celebrates growing ties between the two countries; India could hand a debut opportunity to 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

The match also doubles as preparation for both teams ahead of the men's cricket competition at the Asian Games. Sooryavanshi, noted in the report as a 15-year-old with a rapid rise, did not play in India's recent three-match T20I series against Afghanistan despite being Player of the Series on India’s tour of Zimbabwe and producing a good outing in the Duleep Trophy.

Against Afghanistan, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were selected to open in all three matches. Samson returned to the side and made two fifties, while Abhishek delivered big scores, including a 30-ball hundred in the final T20I and a 32-ball 82 in the first match at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium.

On Samson’s selection, 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 prospects: "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, with VVS Laxman, the head of the Centre of Excellence, accompanying the team instead.

On paper the sides are far apart: India are the reigning T20 World Cup champions and Japan are ranked 41st in the world, but for Japanese cricket the fixture is as much about exposure as the result. 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 game is also part of "Sport 75", and Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, Japan's leading T20 run-scorer, will captain the side at the 2,000-capacity ground around 100km from Tokyo.

The one-off T20I will be available to stream live on FanCode and will be broadcast on the Star Sports network. Weather forecasts warn of wet conditions ahead of the match, with Monday expected to be particularly wet and Tuesday morning forecast mostly dry but with a risk of showers and thunderstorms; rain could leave the Sano outfield soft and slow, potentially affecting playing conditions.

India's named squad 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 is scheduled to begin at 9:30am local time (1pm IST) on Tuesday, September 22, at Sano International Cricket Ground.