5 interesting facts about Japan's cricket team ahead of historic India T20I

The historic one-off India vs. Japan T20 international match is called the Suzuki Cup

Cricket is preparing for a unique international occasion as India and Japan are set to meet in a men’s T20 international for the first time. The match is scheduled to be played on September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi.

India are the reigning world T20 champions, and a match against them will provide Japan with a formidable challenge but also offer the Japanese side an opportunity to showcase the progress they have made.

Five facts about Japan’s cricket team

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1. Japan faced India at the 2020 U-19 World Cup

Japan have already shared a cricketing stage with India, but it was at the junior level. The two sides met during the 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. A star-studded India side, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Ravi Bishnoi, faced Japan in a group-stage clash.

The match ended in a one-sided, dominant victory for India U-19. Kartik Tyagi and Ravi Bishnoi’s spells resulted in Japan’s dismissal for just 41 runs. Jaiswal played a quickfire knock to complete the run chase.

2. Record for the highest opening partnership in T20Is is held by Japan

One of the most surprising facts about the Japan cricket team is their record-breaking opening stand. According to the record books, Japan’s Lachlan Yamamoto-Lae and captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming put on a historic 258-run opening partnership against China during an East Asia Cup encounter.

3. Japan are ranked 41st in ICC T20I rankings

Japan currently occupy the 41st spot in the ICC T20I team rankings with a rating of 74. The highest ever position for them has been 40th, making their current ranking an indicator of decent progress.

While the Japanese men’s team will face their Indian counterparts, the women’s team from both nations will be participating in the Asian Games 2026.

4. Japan have the sixth-highest T20I win percentage

Though Japan do not frequently play any of the big member nations of the ICC, their results in the shortest format of the game have been particularly impressive. Ever since the ICC granted them full T20I status, Japan have featured in 61 T20Is, winning 41 of those.

A win percentage of 68.33 puts them in sixth place based on win percentage among T20I teams. Only five teams- India, Uganda, Portugal, Spain and Jersey- have a win percentage of more than 70 in T20Is.

5. Cricket was first played in Japan in 1863

Cricket’s connection with Japan dates back to the mid-eighteen hundreds. The sport was being played in the country as early as 1863. As per the ICC’s official website, the British first played the sport in Japan when the country was slowly increasing its interaction with Western nations.

However, Japan played their first international match in September 1996 against Brunei. It took several years before the game could become popular in the island nation.