India survived by the skin of their teeth in the one-off T20I against Japan on Tuesday, winning the contest by two runs in a nail-biting thriller at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Sano. The five-overs shootout went down to the final ball, when Japan had a full chance of pulling off a historic upset in their first-ever T20I against a full-member nation. But Axar Patel turned saviour, holding his nerve to seal a narrow win. The performance, however, could not mask the cracks as India’s batting once again highlighted India’s struggles against spin.
The match got underway after a lengthy delay due to the wet outfield. Despite bright sunshine at 9:30 AM IST, an overnight downpour had left the ground unfit for play. After a three-hour wait, play finally began, with the match reduced to five overs per side.
Winning the toss was the only positive for India in the first innings, as the batters struggled to get going. Japan were quick to recognise the conditions, with all five overs bowled by spinners. Charlie Hara-Hinze, Ibrahim Takahashi and Benjamin Ito-Davis made full use of the slow turn on offer, bowling in good areas and leaving the Indian batters short for answers. Abhishek Sharma was the first to walk back, departing for a golden duck. It was his seventh score of zero in T20Is in 2026 and his fifth first-ball dismissal.
Sanju Samson (9), Ishan Kishan (3) and Shreyas Iyer (16) looked all at sea, and India’s problems were compounded by the fact that there were just two boundaries in the entire innings. Samson hit the first in the opening over, while Shreyas struck the second and final boundary in the last over. Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 1 off 3 balls and 0 off 1 ball, respectively, as India finished on 32/4, a well below par score on a tricky pitch. Charlie Hara Hinze was the pick of the Japan spinners, returning figures of 2/17.
Japan’s chase
Japan struggled equally. Ishan Kishan produced some brilliance in the field, with his direct hit from the deep catching Japanese opener Lachlan Yamamoto Lake short of his crease. He was sent back in the opening over. Washington Sundar then struck twice. However, Ravi Bishnoi gave away 10 runs in his only over, leaving Japan needing eight from the last six deliveries, with Axar Patel tasked with bowling the final over.
There was plenty of drama, with a wide call overturned by the on-field officials, although there was no official confirmation as to why the decision was reversed. In the end, Japan needed four from the final delivery but could manage only a single.