Jasprit Bumrah rested for India’s one-off T20I against Japan at Sano

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested and is not part of India’s playing XI for the one-off T20I against Japan at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22, a fixture arranged ahead of India’s Asian Games 2026 campaign.

The match was delayed for several hours because of a wet outfield following rain, with officials eventually confirming a five-over-per-side contest after multiple inspections. The toss took place at 12 PM IST and India elected to bat. The game also coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.

India named a side containing several established T20 players, including Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested as part of workload management ahead of the Asian Games and is therefore not in the XI. No injury reason has been mentioned for his absence.

With the game reduced to just five overs per side, India decided against using their frontline fast bowler for the one-off contest. Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur are the two specialist pacers in India’s XI. Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi were selected as the spin options.

The fixture is being treated as an important preparation match for India ahead of the Asian Games. India are the defending champions and will be looking to retain their gold medal in the Asian Games 2026. India also come into the match on the back of a 3-0 T20I series win over Afghanistan, with Abhishek Sharma recording a 30-ball century in the final game.

For Japan, the game represents a historic opportunity to face India in international cricket for the first time. Despite the reduction to a five-over contest, organisers and teams regard the fixture as a meaningful occasion for both sides.

The one-off T20I will serve as preparation for India’s Asian Games campaign, with the squad managing workloads ahead of that tournament and entering as the reigning gold-medal holders.