India to Play Japan in T20I at Sano on September 22 to Mark 75 Years of Diplomatic Ties
· Sports · India Today, Times of India, ESPNCricinfo
India will play Japan in a one-off T20 International at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture on September 22, the BCCI confirmed on September 4. The fixture opens celebrations for 75 years of India-Japan diplomatic relations and forms part of a "Sport 75" initiative agreed during a summit between PM Narendra Modi and Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi. The match slots between the start of the Asian Games cricket competition on September 19 and Japan's Asian Games opener against Afghanistan on September 24 in Nisshin, with the men's team holding a bye into the quarter-finals. Japan, ranked 41st in the ICC T20I standings, will host reigning world champions India for what BCCI honorary secretary Devajit Saikia called a "significant moment for cricket." The initiative also takes note of India's stated ambition to bid for the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Why it matters
For Indian cricket, the fixture extends the BCCI's push into non-traditional markets like the US and now Japan, strengthening cricket's case as India builds toward a possible 2036 Olympic bid. For Japan, ranked 41st, the chance to face India on home soil is a rare competitive test ahead of its Asian Games campaign.
Read the original report — India Today
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