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09/22 04:59 CDT A celebration of friendship between Japan and India with
cricket as the backdrop
A celebration of friendship between Japan and India with cricket as the backdrop
SANO, Japan (AP) --- Japan and India celebrated 75 years of friendship with an
international T20 cricket match as the backdrop on Tuesday, marking a new
chapter in sports and diplomacy between the two.
The match was hosted as part of an agreement reached during a summit between
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to mark the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship.
It was delayed nearly three hours, first by the late arrival of match officials
and the Indian team due to traffic and then by a wet outfield. The match was
then reduced to five overs per side as Japan gave the three-time world
champions a royal scare before falling two runs short.
India opted to bat and finished 32-4 in its five overs, with skipper Shreyas
Iyer scoring 16 off 12 balls. Japan's Charlie Hara-Hinze, a 17-year-old
left-arm spinner, etched his name in the history books by getting Abhishek
Sharma out for a duck and also dismissing Iyer.
Axar Patel and Washington Sundar then held their own to defend India's low
score. Skipper Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming scored 12 runs, but was unable to take
his side past the finish line as Japan finished 30-3.
Despite the defeat, it was a heroic effort from the 41st-ranked Japanese team
against the biggest team in world cricket.
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See AP's full cricket coverage here
