India-Japan T20I A Major Step In Cricket’s Push To Go Global: BCCI’s Saikia

The historic India-Japan T20 International later this month is being viewed as more than just a cricket match, with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia calling it an important step in the sport’s ambition to establish a truly global footprint.

India and Japan will meet for the first time in a T20I on September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture. The match, to be played under the Suzuki Cup, will also mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.

The fixture comes ahead of the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which begin on September 19.

Saikia said the match reflects efforts to take international cricket into newer territories and introduce the sport to fresh audiences, particularly in regions where it has significant room for growth.

“India-Japan is more than a cricket match. It represents the direction in which our sport is moving from a global ambition to a global reality,” Saikia said in a post on X.

He also credited ICC chairman Jay Shah for pushing cricket’s expansion into new markets and strengthening its connection with the Olympic movement.

For India, the game will have a competitive purpose as well. The reigning T20 World Cup champions will get valuable exposure to Japanese conditions while using the match to assess combinations and build momentum before the Asian Games.

Ranked No. 1 in the ICC T20 standings, India will enter the Asian Games directly at the knockout stage and begin their campaign in the quarterfinals on September 28.

The Indian squad will be led by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson and teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi among the players expected to attract attention.

Japan, ranked 41st in the ICC T20 rankings, will have a rare opportunity to face the world's top-ranked side on home soil.

The encounter could therefore carry significance well beyond the scoreboard, offering another glimpse of cricket's determined push towards becoming a more accessible and genuinely global sport.