Japan Almost Beat India In Cricket Can India Now Surprise Brazil In Football?

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) On the face of it, Japan taking on India in cricket is akin to the Indians facing Brazil in a game of football.

This is not a hypothetical situation anymore.

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Japan, a cricketing minnow, indeed played a historic T20 International against world champions India in Tokyo on Tuesday.

And India, one of the weakest football nations in Asia, arguably the least developed continent in the global sport, is bracing for its first international match against Brazil, the five-time world champions.

Brazil may have bowed out of the recent World Cup with a tame defeat to Norway in the round of 16, but a team featuring Vinicius Jr and Raphinha is still expected to teach India, ranked 138 in Fifa rankings, a footballing lesson when the two nations clash in Kolkata on October 3.

Japan, a country which has never failed to qualify for a Fifa World Cup since making its debut in 1998, is still taking baby steps in cricket.

But Japan, ranked 41st in the world, came tantalizingly close to causing the biggest upset in cricket history before losing by just two runs against India on Tuesday.

It was an incredible day for Japan. An associate member of the ICC (International Cricket Council) since 2005, Japan have never qualified for the Asia Cup.

On the international stage, their best performance came at the East Asia Cup in 2018 when they beat China and Hong Kong for the first position on the podium.

When Japan's team arrived in Dubai in December 2023, for the Under 19 Asia Cup, their coaching staff was delighted to see their young players getting an opportunity to practise on proper pitches.

During an interview with the Khaleej Times, Ardene Ruhode, a former Zimbabwean first-class cricketer who was the head coach of this Under 19 Japan team, admitted that cricket was still at a nascent stage in Japan, where his players 'don't get to see many turf wickets'.

Incredibly, less than three years later, Japan's senior team played against the star-studded Indian team and almost pulled off a victory in a rain-shortened T20I.

In the five-overs-a-side match, after poor weather delayed the start, a slow wicket and an even slower outfield greeted the two teams at Sano International Cricket Stadium, a venue that is also used for baseball, the most popular sport in Japan.

Electing to bat, Indian batters found it extremely difficult to adjust to the conditions, managing only 32 for four in five overs.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer (16) was the only batter to have reached double figures as Sanju Samson (9), Abhishek Sharma (0) and Ishan Kishan (3) all fell to spin, with Charlie Hara-Hinze, a 17-year-old left-arm spinner, claiming two for 17 in two overs.

In reply, Japan needed just eight runs off the final over after reaching 25 for three in four overs.

But Axar Patel saved India the blushes as the left-arm spinner gave away only five runs in the final over, with Japan finishing on 30 for two.

Opener Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (12), the top-scorer, could have taken Japan home if off-spinner Washington Sundar (2-0-13-2) had not dismissed him in the fourth over.

A match organised to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries came very close to producing one of the greatest upsets in all sports.

Japan may not have won the match, but their fighting spirit won the heart of Indian captain Iyer.

“The attitude Japanese team showed today is impeccable. I'm sure they're on the right track,” the Indian skipper said.

“Even though it was five overs, I was glad we got a game. Overall, it was an exciting game.”

Japan captain Kadowaki-Fleming was incredibly proud of his team.

“The fact that we were able to run the best team in the world to the last ball... Proud of the cricket group and broader community,” he said.

It remains to be seen how India fares against Brazil in football on October 3. Japan held its own against a cricketing giant on Tuesday.

If they can replicate the same spirit against Afghanistan and Nepal in Group A of the ongoing Asian Games, Japan may earn another chance to play India.

A runner-up finish in Group A will set up a clash with India in the quarterfinals.

That will be the icing on the cake for a country more famous for a different kind of game between bat and ball - baseball.

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