Kadowaki named captain as Japan announces 15-member squad for India T20I
The match, to be played under the Suzuki Cup banner, will be Japan’s first meeting with India in men’s international cricket
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Japan have named Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming as captain of their 15-member squad for their historic one-off T20I against India at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture on Tuesday, September 22.
The Suzuki Cup fixture will be Japan’s first meeting with India in men’s international cricket and comes two days before the start of the Asian Games cricket competition.
The squad largely mirrors Japan’s group for the Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with Kadowaki-Fleming, the country’s leading T20I run-scorer, continuing to lead the side.
Squad mirrors Asian Games group
Japan have retained the core of the squad selected for their home Asian Games campaign, with 12 players coming from the national group announced for the 2026 season in June.
The remaining three places have gone to players from Japan’s A squads, Tsuyoshi Takada, Jake Kusuda-Nairn and Alester Kadowaki-Fleming. Kusuda-Nairn earns a place after impressing in domestic cricket, while Takada returns to the senior side after first representing Japan at the ICC East Asia-Pacific Twenty20 Championship in 2013.
Japan have also left out players who are eligible to play T20Is under ICC regulations but do not meet the eligibility requirements for the Asian Games.
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Kadowaki-Fleming leads Japan
Kadowaki-Fleming, Japan’s all-time leading T20I run-scorer, will captain the side. Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki-McComb are the other members of the squad to have played more than 50 T20Is for Japan.
The squad also features Wataru Miyauchi and Makoto Taniyama, who came through Japanese schools with cricket Bukatsu programmes.
Taniyama, a leg-spinner, developed his bowling action by watching videos of Shane Warne and wears the number 23 shirt in tribute to the former Australian spinner. He is also Japan’s leading wicket-taker across pathway and international competitions.
Historic meeting in Sano
The fixture will also commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia described it as an important step in cricket’s expansion into new territories. He said it would connect the sport with a new audience in Japan and contribute to the broader effort to make cricket more accessible and global.
Saikia also credited ICC chairman Jay Shah’s efforts to expand cricket into new regions and strengthen its pathway towards the Olympic movement, saying the India-Japan fixture represented the transition from global ambition towards a wider global presence.
India set for Asian Games preparation
India, the reigning T20 World Cup champions and the No. 1-ranked side in the format, have selected a full-strength squad for the Asian Games under Shreyas Iyer.
The Indian team is expected to travel to Sano on September 19 and hold a practice session the next day. The T20I will give India an opportunity to acclimatise to local conditions and gain match practice before the Asian Games.
India have been seeded directly into the knockout stage and will begin their campaign in the quarterfinals on September 28. Tilak Varma has been named vice-captain, while Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are among the other notable names in the squad.
Japan squad for India T20I
Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi (wk), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wk), Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake.
Topics :India cricket teamT20 cricketCricket NewsBS Web Reports
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First Published: Sep 08 2026 | 10:44 AMIST
Source: www.business-standard.com
