IND vs JPN, one-off T20I: Japan captain Kendel on pushing India to the brink - ‘It was special’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IND vs JPN, one-off T20I: Japan captain Kendel on pushing India to the brink - ‘It was special’")
One-off T20I Japan captain Kendel on pushing India to brink - ‘It was special’ Photograph: (X/@BCCI)
Japan skipper Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming reflects on taking world champions India to the final ball in a rain-affected, one-off T20I thriller in Sano. Read his reaction.
Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming was proud of his team after they pushed the defending T20I champions India to the brink during their one-off T20I in Sano on Tuesday (Sep 22). Kendel said it was special to push the rain-marred five-over-a-side fixture till the last ball, where India managed to pull off an escape and beat the Associate Nation by just two runs. Kendel said facing India had ‘emotions running pretty high within their group’ as the two teams contested their maiden international face-off.
"I've been saying to a few other guys that when [the game] gets that close, [the loss is] actually a little bit tougher to take and the emotions are running pretty high in our group," Kadowaki-Fleming said. "But the fact that we were able to run the best team in the world, in my opinion, to the last ball of a game is pretty special.
"I'm sure there will be a couple of moments that replay through our minds on the long bus road now to nowhere but, yeah, it's a feeling of pride at the moment,” he continued.
Chasing a mere 33 in five overs, Japan came agonisingly close to beating India in what would have been the biggest upset in all of cricket, with Kendel top-scoring (12 off 12 balls). His wicket on the last ball of the fourth over left Japan with eight to win from six balls. Axar Patel bowled the final over, and despite conceding a couple of singles and wides, he defended the target as India won its 200th T20I.
"They've got some world-class spinners, Axar [Patel], Washington [Sundar] and Ravi Bishnoi bowling," Kadowaki-Fleming said. “On our Sano wicket, we knew it was going to be an extreme challenge, but at [a required run-rate of] six-and-a-half, your mind does sort of wander and think you get a couple out of the middle and you never know.”
‘Momentous Occasion’ – Kendel on facing India
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While Japan, ranked 41st in men’s T20Is, has risen through the ranks over the years, they have never faced a Test-playing nation. Having Shreyas Iyer’s Indian T20I team as their first high-profile opponent was a monumental moment for them.
"Today was a really momentous occasion, in that it was the first time we were able to face a Full Member.
"We've got around a 36-hour turnaround now [before the start of the Asian Games]...So, we're going to rest up tomorrow, and we'll prepare for that game, and obviously if we win one of our next two matches, we'll have a chance to play another Full Member in the knockout. So that's definitely the goal."
