Bihar-born Japan cricketer Anand eager to meet Indian stars

Abhishek Anand, a Bihar-born cricketer who now represents Japan, is hoping to meet Indian players Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan when the two nations meet in a historic one-off T20 International at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi on September 22, 2026. The match is the first senior men's international between India and Japan and is being played as part of celebrations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, with the Suzuki Cup fixture also serving as preparation for the men's cricket tournament at the 2026 Asian Games. Anand, a 28-year-old right-handed batter and right-arm medium pace bowler, was born in Rohtas district and raised in Patna. He studied at IIT Kanpur, graduating with a chemistry degree in 2022, and moved to Japan after receiving a placement offer from Accenture Japan through campus placement. Given only two hours to decide, he spent that time researching cricket in Japan and learned that the national team had qualified that year for the East Asia-Pacific World Cup qualifier, which convinced him there was a future for the sport there.