India edge Japan by two runs in historic T20I

India survived one of the biggest upsets in cricket history, edging Japan by two runs in a rain-shortened five-over Twenty20 international at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Rain and a wet outfield delayed the start by more than two hours and reduced the contest to five overs per side. India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat, but the hosts' bowlers exploited a sluggish, turning surface to restrict the T20 World Cup champions to 32 for four. Seventeen-year-old left-arm spinner Charlie HaraHinze was the pick of the attack, taking two wickets for 17 runs. He dismissed opener Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck with the final ball of the opening over and removed Iyer, who top-scored with 16 off 12 balls, in the final over. Ibrahim Takahashi and Benjamin ItoDavis claimed a wicket each, with Sanju Samson falling for nine and Ishan Kishan for three. Chasing 33, Japan lost Lachlan YamamotoLake in the opening over before captain Kendel KadowakiFleming steadied the reply with a run-a-ball 12. Offspinner Washington Sundar returned two for 13, removing YamamotoLake and Takahashi, while Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh also took wickets.