'Was a little bit disappointed that Sooryavanshi wasn't...': Japan captain after 2-run loss to India in last-ball thriller

Reduced to five overs per side game due to wet outfield, the historic Suzuki Cup match ended with India registering a narrow two-run win over Japan. After the last-ball thriller, Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming expressed his disappointment after seeing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the bench in the one-off T20I match. He made the admission in the post-match presentation while praising 17-year-old left-arm spinner Charlie Hara-Hinze who claimed a couple of wickets.

“We've known that Charlie's been around our men's squad for a couple of years. He's our 17-year-old prodigy. I was a little bit disappointed that the 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi) wasn't part of the team sheet today, but yeah, I mean, look, he's progressing extremely well, with ball and in the field, and he showed that today, taking the first and the fifth,” Kadowaki-Fleming said in the post-match presentation.

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Charlie makes a mark with prized wickets

In the absence of Sooryavanshi, India's top-order collapsed. Charlie dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck in the first over. Abhishek had scored a 30-ball century in the previous game against Afghanistan. Charlie bowled the last over as well and got the wicket of Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer. He bowled two overs, conceded 17 runs and bagged two wickets. This was Charlie's fifth consecutive match where he claimed two or more wickets.

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India win last-ball thriller

India managed to post 32/4 on the board with Iyer top-scoring (12-ball 16). In the run chase, Japan skipper Kadowaki-Fleming scored a run-a-ball 12. Washington Sundar bagged a couple of wickets. Axar Patel conceded just seven runs from two overs, helping India win by two runs.

Japan to face Afghanistan, Nepal this week

Japan will be in action in a couple of days' time in the Asian Games 2026 men's cricket event opener. Japan go up against Afghanistan, the silver-medallist of the previous edition, in the Group A clash on September 24. Japan's next match is against Nepal on September 26.

If Japan manage to finish second in Group A, they will face India again in quarterfinal match on September 28.