Remember the 1930s? During that period, barely 3 teams used to play international cricket – Australia, England and South Africa. And during that time, transport used to be mainly by ship, so teams like Australia used to halt for a day in Sri Lanka, play a game and then continue on their journey. This one-off match gives us that kind of a feeling, with India fine-tuning their preparations ahead of the Asian Games. They have just come off a tremendous 3-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with barely a finger being raised on them, and would want to maintain that momentum.
That’s what the one-off T20I between Japan and India is. For cricket nerds and enthusiasts, this might appear as a big step for Japan to be noticed in the cricketing world, or a kind of warm-up match for India ahead of the much-anticipated Asian Games. However, this fixture is actually being played as part of the celebrations of 75 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and India. A bilateral initiative by the name of Sport 75 has been launched to strengthen sporting ties between the two nations.
However, there are some issues troubling the current World champions. Varun Chakaravarthy and Harshit Rana have been ruled out due to injury, and while there are effective replacements, the consistent injury bug in the Indian camp would be creating a headache for the selectors. Jasprit Bumrah will come directly under the scanner, and it will be interesting to see whether he plays, given the massive workload coming up in the next few months. The batting looks sorted and daunting as always, with Samson, Abhishek, Kishan, Shreyas and Tilak expected to shoulder the responsibilities.
The host nation does not have much to complain about, though. In fact, the country might not be even looking at the disparity between the two squads – India’s experience vs Japan’s infancy – but would rather be celebrating the fact that this is the first time that the land of the rising sun gets a chance to play against a full member of the ICC. The tickets for this clash have already been sold out, indicating the prevailing excitement. Without a doubt, skipper Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming will be aiming to give India a run for their money, but won’t blame him if the occasion just overwhelms him and his side.
Talking about the new, India are entering this series and the Asian Games under a new head coach in VVS Laxman. While Gautam Gambhir is known for blooding raw and young talent, Laxman is renowned for getting the best out of everyone within the squad, with an aggressive approach. So, it will be interesting to see how the selection policy goes, as far as key players and their rotation are concerned.
Amidst the excitement, a bit of gloom also accompanies. There was heavy rain on Monday in Sano, where the game is to be played. The forecast for match day does not seem to be threatening as such, but given the rain the ground has witnessed in the past 24 hours or so, it would be challenging for the ground authorities to get the venue fit for play. Fingers crossed, let’s wish for the game of cricket to thrive.
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