"Honestly speaking, it was a very difficult wicket to bat on."
India survived a major scare against Japan as they secured a narrow two-run victory in their shortened T20 match at Sano.
The game was reduced to five overs because of rain, with India struggling on a placid pitch after choosing to bat first.
Captain Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 16 from 12 balls, while Sanju Samson contributed nine.
Charlie Hara-Hinze claimed two wickets for 17 runs as India finished on 32 for four. Japan’s chase was immediately disrupted when Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake and Ibrahim Takahashi fell during the opening two overs.
Captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming led Japan’s response with 12 before Washington Sundar dismissed him. Benjamin Ito-Davis then added nine as India eventually held on to win by two runs.
The big talking moment came in the final over after India protested when the umpire signalled a wide.
After a discussion with the square-leg umpire, the decision was overturned.
Iyer acknowledged the difficulty of batting in the conditions and praised Japan’s performance after the match.
He said: “Honestly speaking, it was a very difficult wicket to bat on.
“A five-over game, it can go anywhere. It doesn’t matter how good a team you are.
“The attitude and approach the Japanese team showed today was impeccable, and kudos to them. Their approach was outstanding. I’m sure that they are on the right track.”
Kadowaki-Fleming said Japan’s players were proud of how closely they pushed India, who he described as the world’s best team:
“Emotions are running pretty high in our group. But the fact that we’re able to run the best team in the world, in my opinion, to the last ball of a game is pretty special.
“I think today was a really momentous occasion in that it was the first time we were able to face a full member.”
Japan had used diplomatic channels to arrange the high-profile match against India, while India agreed partly because the fixture offered an opportunity to acclimatise to conditions in Japan.
The match also comes ahead of India’s Asian Games title defence, with the team entering the competition at the quarter-final stage alongside Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh because of their seeding.
India could face Japan again in their Asian Games campaign. They will play the runner-up from Group A, which contains Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal, on September 28 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
