Warning Signs for India? Japan Expose Major Weakness in Narrow T20I Defeat
India escaped an embarrassing defeat against Japan in their landmark one-off T20I at Sano on Tuesday, September 22, winning by two runs after being bowled out on a turning pitch.
Despite being world champions, Shreyas Iyer's men were on the brink of a historic upset after Japan chased down a modest total of 32/4 in five overs, despite the rain-shortened contest giving them little margin for error.
It will come as something of a relief for the Indian camp, but more so for their supporters who have travelled across the globe to see their team defend the Asian Games title.
Japan's Spinners Expose India's Batting Problems
India's decision to bat first proved a nightmare decision as the spinners made the most of the conditions.
In the opening over, Charlie Hara-Hinze castled Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck, before Sanju Samson (9) and Ishan Kishan (3) failed to score freely off the spinners, managing only 12 runs in the first three overs.
While their openers fell away with regularity, Shreyas Iyer (16 off 12) attempted to accelerate the innings, but couldn't keep up his strike rate after the run chase began.
The biggest problem for India was their failure to adapt to the turning pitch.
Rather than playing straight drives to score singles, the batters were looking to take on the spin, and it led to regular wickets.
India scored only two boundaries in their five overs, while Japan demonstrated that a steady line of spin bowling backed by disciplined fielding can dismantle any batting unit.
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What India's Narrow Victory Reveals Ahead of Asian Games
Defending 32 proved far from straightforward for India. Axar Patel had only allowed two runs in the opening over, while Washington Sundar accounted for Ibrahim Takahashi and Japan skipper Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming.
But Japan proved a competent run chaser and were 18/2 after three overs, needing just 15 runs from the final 12 deliveries.
With eight needed off the final over, Axar Patel had a simple task on his hands, although a controversial umpiring decision added uncertainty to an already nervy chase. India's spinners defended the total, with Japan falling two runs short.
India defended the total, but their bowling attack proved far more resilient than their batting, which was reliant on hitting the spinners through the gaps rather than playing straight drives to score singles.
While their bowlers proved capable of handling the tricky conditions, the same cannot be said for their batters.
With only five overs to face, a match of this length is too short to draw any conclusions about the strength of India's batting line-up.
Japan deserve plaudits for making the most of the conditions, but the visitors will be glad of the narrow victory with the Asian Games beginning on September 28.
The defending champions will play their first match in the quarter-finals later this month, and this result is a good test, particularly if they are required to bat on a similar surface.