India's only practice session before the historic one-off T20I match against Japan was cancelled due to Typhoon Dujuan which approached eastern Japan. Rain and thunderstorms welcomed Team India and the pre-match press conference was held indoors.
The one-off match of the Suzuki Cup is scheduled to be played at Sano International Cricket Ground, Kanto, on September 22. There is a question mark over whether the one-off T20I will be played in its entirety on Tuesday.
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India vs Japan only T20I weather forecast
While the conditions on match day will be better than September 21, thunderstorms may play spoilsport. There is also a possibility of incessant rain causing delay in start of the game due to wet outfield. It could lead to a rain-curtailed game with reduced number of overs.
Shreyas Iyer on conditions in Japan
On the eve of the match, skipper Shreyas Iyer revealed that he is excited to face Japan. He admitted that he is not familiar to the conditions in Japan and how the wicket will behave with practice session cancelled.
"It is going to be a thrilling and exciting match for us. This is the first time we would be playing Japan, and do not know much about the conditions, the wicket, but looking forward to have a great match," he told the media.
India vs Japan only T20I squads -
India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Vipraj Nigam, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Japan: Kendel Fleming (c), Shirai Patmore (wk), Alester Fleming, Benjamin Ito Davis, Reo Sakurano Thomas, Kohei Kubota, Wataru Miyauchi, Declan Suzuki, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, Tsuyoshi Takada, Charlie Hara-Hinze, Shoma Slater, Jake Kusuda-Nairn.
Changes in India squad -
India had to make a forced change in the squad as Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out of Japan T20I and Asian Games 2026 due to side strain. He has been replaced by Vipraj Nigam who has received his maiden T20I call-up. Also, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been withdrawn from the squad as he will play in the ODI series at home against West Indies.