India, Japan set for historic T20I clash as rain delays start

Rain looms over the first T20 international between India and Japan, the first time the two countries have met in international cricket. With both teams facing each other for the first time at this level, fans are excited, but rain could affect the match, which has not yet started. The toss has not been held, and the ground will be inspected again to assess the rain before a decision is made.

Shreyas Iyer is leading the Indian team, while Kendall Fleming is the captain of Japan. On the eve of the match, Fleming said he was very excited.

The T20 international between India and Japan is being seen as a good preparation opportunity for India ahead of the 2026 Asian Games. However, this is not a practice match but an official international fixture, so the players' performances in it will count in their official statistics.

The Shreyas Iyer-led Indian team will play its first match at the 2026 Asian Games on September 28. India has a direct entry into the quarterfinals of the tournament, though its opponent in that round is yet to be decided. India recently whitewashed Afghanistan 3-0 in a T20 series, which has boosted the team's confidence. It remains to be seen how strong a fight Japan puts up against India, or whether the match turns out to be one-sided, but for now all eyes are on the rain.

The Indian squad includes Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Vipraj Nigam and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Japan's squad includes Kendall Fleming (captain), Shirai Patmore (wicketkeeper), Alastair Fleming, Benjamin Ito Davis, Reo Sakurano Thomas, Kohei Kubota, Wataru Miyauchi, Declan Suzuki, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, Tsuyoshi Takada, Charlie Hara-Hinge, Shoma Slater and Jake Kusuda-Nairn.