How one India T20I could become a defining moment for Japanese cricket

Indian cricketers in Japan. (Photo credit: JCA) NEW DELHI: Alan Curr stopped counting how many hats he wore this week.On Sunday morning, with a typhoon on the horizon, the COO of the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) pulled back the wicket covers. Later, he pitched hospitality tents, checked security plans and helped transform the picturesque 500-seater cricket ground into a venue worthy of hosting the reigning T20I world champions. Until Tuesday, weather permitting, India will take on Japan in the first ever men’s senior international against a Full Member.For Japanese cricket, getting here is an achievement in itself and the score is almost secondary.“Many successes have almost happened,” says Curr. “The fact that India has agreed to come, the fact that I am sitting here talking to you, the fact that the Japanese media is coming to learn about cricket – we are already having success,” he told select media.Cricket is not new to Japan as it was introduced in the 1870s. But adaptation is another story. Baseball, football, sumo wrestling, basketball, golf, tennis, boxing are some sports that are bigger. India’s arrival marks the loudest introduction to cricket in recent memory.

Japan Cricket Association (JCA) COO Alan Curr (IANS Photo)

More than just another T20I match

Japan played in the Under-19 World Cup, faced India and Pakistan at youth level and competed in the Asian Games with their women’s team. But this is a different sauce.“It certainly helps when we say the reigning world champions, the No. 1 team in the world, are coming to Japan,” says Curr. “It is generating interest, but we still have a long way to go before cricket penetrates the mainstream sports audience.”This mainstream audience is exactly what JCA wants to reach. The timing is perfect: cricket returns to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya a few days later, allowing Japan to explain the sport through one of the country’s most famous sporting events.“The Asian Games gives cricket a legitimacy it didn’t have before,” says Curr. “You can’t be what you can’t see.”

It certainly helps to have the reigning world champions, the number 1 ranked team in the world, coming to Japan.

Japan Cricket Association COO Alan Curr

The growth of cricket in Japan is quiet but slow

Behind the scenes, cricket in Japan continues to expand. The number of registered players has grown from around 3,000 when Curr arrived in 2014 to 8,800 today. The Japan Cup – the country’s T20 competition – has grown from barely a dozen teams to more than 80, while the 40-plus domestic league now spans four divisions.“Kaizen is the word,” says Curr. “Constant improvement. That’s what we strive for as a sport. But every now and then there are moments like this where you can speed it up,” he added.

Spectators during the second semi-final of the Asian Games between India Women and Bangladesh Women in Japan. (PTI Photo)

To win hearts and viewers, not necessarily a match

Japan is under no illusions about the future cricket challenge. “This India team is pretty good,” Curr said matter-of-factly. “It will be an extremely difficult challenge for players who have never played at this level before.”Instead, his measure of success is cultural.He points to the Japanese women’s team, which was recently praised for staying back after an Asian Games match against India to thank and connect with fans. This is the identity that the male side also wants to show.“We want cricket to be played hard but also accessible and friendly,” he says. “We want cricket to be fun for us.If thousands of spectators leave Sano for the first time remembering more than just India’s star power, Japanese cricket may have achieved exactly what it came for.

BCCI really wanted an opportunity to train. It’s a huge credit to them that they’re excited to come here and build this relationship with JCA

Alan Curr

How the device came into being in India

The historic match was never part of Japan’s grand plan to expand the sport. It started with clay.Eighteen months ago, the JCA decided to relocate the pitch at Sano with the help of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), whose groundsman traveled to Japan to identify suitable clay. The same surface was eventually used to build the venue for the Asian Games in Nagoya, which led to a simple idea: if Japan had international quality goals, why not invite the world’s best teams to use them?Once the pitches were completed in March, Japan prepared a proposal and sent it to all full members ahead of the ICC conference in Edinburgh. That’s where talks with the BCCI began – and to Curr’s surprise, they took off quickly.“The BCCI really wanted an opportunity to coach. It’s a huge credit to them that they’re excited to come here and build this relationship with the JCA,” he said.The timing made sense. With the Asian Games starting a few days later, the Indian men’s team would have otherwise spent almost a week waiting for the knockout match without access to proper cricket facilities. Sano offered both a training base and eventually a match. Again, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the weather doesn’t spoil.India vs Japan T20I will be telecast LIVE on FanCode on 22nd September at 9:30 AM IST.