India Escape Giant-Killing Scare: Edge Japan by 2 Runs in Rain-Shortened T20I Thriller!
Sano, Japan – In a nail-biting encounter at the Sano International Cricket Ground, the Men in Blue survived a major scare against a spirited Japanese side, securing a tense two-run victory in a rain-reduced five-over-a-side match. Celebrating 75 years of bilateral friendship under the Sport 75 initiative, the fixture served as an intense, high-stakes rehearsal for both teams ahead of the Asian Games 2026 . Despite an international lineup featuring top T20 stars, India was pushed to the absolute brink before Axar Patel held his nerve in the final over to defend eight runs, locking in India’s landmark 200th T20 International victory . Match Summary & Key Performance Indicators Phase / Aspect Details / Highlights Match Format 5 Overs per side (Rain-Truncated) Toss Result India won the toss and elected to bat India 1st Innings Score 32/4 (5.0 Overs) — Shreyas Iyer 16 (12), Sanju Samson 9 (7) Japan 1st Innings Score 30/3 (5.0 Overs) — Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming 12 (12) Result India won ...