JPN vs IND

6:00 PM local time (2:30 PM IST): India were given a proper scare in Sano today by Japan, but, Shreyas Iyer and his men were good enough to weather the storm and take the team to the finish line. Next up for Team India, it is the Asian Games! Their first match will be on 28 September, in the quarter-finals. For now, this is Bidipto, taking your leave. Keep following Sportskeeda! 

Shreyas Iyer (India captain): "First of all, congratulations to the 75 years of friendship and diplomatic relations between India and Japan! But coming to the game, we wanted to play today. So many people turning up and supporting cricket, even if it was a 5-overs game, we were happy to play. It's a pleasure to be leading the Indian team, I love playing under pressure, and with pressure, comes responsibility. We will now go to Nagoya and assess the conditions. On the field, we will look to set the standard high." 

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (Japan captain): "Oh it was a great effort! Extremely proud of our group! To run the best team in the world so close, that's a big thing for us. I would like to thank everyone who made this game possible. At the halfway mark, we were excited! We knew that their high-class spin bowlers would come at us with a lot of wile and guile, but, we were looking forward to the challenge. Charlie (Hara Hinze) has been around our squad for a couple of years and he is managing himself really well! Up against some of the best players of spin in the world, it was excellent on his part! We've got two strong opponents coming up over the next three days in the Asian Games, so, we have to be up for it now." 

Shreyas Iyer (Player of the Match and India captain): "It was turning square. It wasn't a tricky wicket to bat on. So when I got out there, I realized that it's better to take singles and play to the merit of the ball. In a five-overs game, it can go anywhere. But the attitude that the Japanese team showed today, it was brilliant! They are heading into the Asian Games on a high now, and we too have had a good outing against them." 

5:13 PM local time (1:43 PM IST): India win a close match by only 2 runs! 

Shreyas Iyer 16 (12) | Washington Sundar - 2/13 (2)
Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming 12 (12) | Charlie Hara Hinze - 2/17 (2)

Washington Sundar got the wickets, but it boiled down to those two overs from Axar Patel in the end, that helped India win this game, which almost got away from them! 

Axar held on to his nerve, and delivered a superb first over! Then, with 8 runs to defend off the last over, he came back and defended it with a lot of class! 

India bowled well, knowing what was required on this surface. Spin was the only diet, as expected, but the overs from Washington and Ravi Bishnoi proved to be costly, because of the pressure that India were put under, with so few runs on the board to defend. 

Credit to the Japanese batters as well for hanging in there right till the end and taking it as deep as possible to be in with a shot at winning the game! 

It was 4 runs required off the final delivery - that's how close it all came! But, the lack of experience, and the overall class of the Indians. proved to be just a bit too much to handle for the hosts. 

4.6 Axar Patel to Alex Shirai Patmore, IT'S A LEG-BYE! JAPAN NEEDED FOUR RUNS TO WIN, BUT THEY COULD MUSTER ONLY ONE! Into the pitch and on the pads. The heave towards short fine-leg from the pads doesn't connect, and all they get is a run. India get out of jail, with a narrow win by 2 runs! 

4.3 Axar Patel to Alex Shirai Patmore, NO RUN! OHH! The delivery is similar, but this time, the connection is missed. The umpire gives it a WIDE first, but then, after a long discussion with the leg-umpire, decides to reverse the call.

4.3 Axar Patel to Alex Shirai Patmore, OH IT'S A WIDE! Full and outside leg-stump. The attempted reverse-sweep gets beaten, but the extra goes Japan's way.