Japan almost pulls off cricket's greatest upset ever: India sneak through to avoid embarassment in Sano
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Japan almost pulls off cricket's greatest upset ever: India sneak through to avoid embarassment in Sano originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- India survived a historic scare against Japan, winning by just two runs in a five-over T20I while defending only 32 runs.
- Japan's spinners dismantled India's top order completely, with the pitch turning sharply and the outfield slow from previous days' rain.
- A controversial wide reversal in the final over by square-leg umpire Chris Brown proved decisive in India's narrow escape in Sano.
Two runs away from history: Japan nearly stuns India in wild 5-over Sano thriller
India nearly lost to Japan; not in a warm-up match, not in a rain-affected exhibition. It was a proper T20 International on the record books, on Japanese soil, in front of a crowd that had turned out to witness history and very nearly got a different kind of history than anyone imagined.
India's batting line-up is celebrated everywhere it goes. World-class, they say; explosive, unstoppable on their day. However, Tuesday in Sano was not their day.
The surface they played on exposed a vulnerability that keeps resurfacing, gets temporarily buried under big scores at home, and then emerges again whenever the ball turns or moves off a length that isn't predictable.
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If the pitch was a slow, turning handful, the outfield was damp and sluggish from the rain the day before.
Spinners ran through both teams' overs as all ten were delivered by wrist or finger spin. Only four boundaries came in the entire match. And in those conditions, India managed 32 for four from their five overs, with Shreyas Iyer's measured 16 off 12 balls the only thing standing between their innings and a total that would have been embarrassing to put into a scorecard.
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan all fell without making a mark. This is the team that averages over 200 strike rate against pace in the IPL, that pulverises flat surfaces at home with complete authority. However, when they were put on a slow, turning surface against lesser-known, yet disciplined spinners, the cracks appeared quickly.
MORE: 'Flat track bullies': Fans slam India as they narrowly beat minnows Japan
BCCI/Creimas
Axar's discipline and the wide that almost changed everything
If India's batting made for uncomfortable viewing, the final over provided a different kind of insight. Japan needed eight off the last over with Axar Patel bowling.
A tense proposition, but manageable for India given the conditions. But then came the wide calls.
The Japanese umpire had already drawn some raised eyebrows by calling deliveries wide on the leg side even as Japan's batter Alexander Shirai-Patmore gave up his leg-side entitlements by attempting reverse hits.
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The second call brought the equation down to five off four, and this time it was too much, which forced the New Zealand umpire Chris Brown to have a chat, and then the decision was reversed. The intervention was correct under the laws, but the drama it added to an already extraordinary evening was something else entirely.
Axar ultimately delivered with figures of 2-0-7-0. Although the numbers don't leap off the page, but given the context, defending eight against a side two wickets down and wanting history desperately, it was a performance of real nerve.
Nonetheless, kudos to the Japanese team for sending a chill across Indian spines in Sano. It will be a performance that will be talked over and over again, and this effort might just inspire the other associate nations to take on the giants with a larger heart.
BCCI/Creimas
What this means for India before the 2028 T20 World Cup
Performances like this one just passed shouldn't be dismissed as low-stakes curiosities. Cricket's global growth depends on close finishes like Tuesday's going the other way occasionally. An upset for Japan would have done more for the sport's development in East Asia than a dozen comfortable India wins.
But for India specifically, the result is a flashing warning sign. The T20 World Cup returns in 2028, and if the squad management isn't actively working to build adaptability against quality spin on difficult surfaces, the same limitations will follow them to every away tournament.
The need of the hour is to pick a squad with more technically equipped options against turning pitches, rather than loading up on power hitters who need pace to time the ball, should be the priority for the selectors rebuilding after Agarkar's departure. India need to be better than this, and they know it.
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