Even the Japanese captain wanted to watch Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. But India benched him again

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been left out of India’s playing XI for their first-ever men’s T20I against Japan on Tuesday, September 22 in Sano, leaving Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming disappointed. The 15-year-old batsman was part of the Indian squad but did not feature in the landmark contest, which was also played as part of the celebration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.

Originally scheduled to be a full-length T20I, the match was reduced to five overs per side after rain and a wet pitch marred the start. India captain Shreyas Iyer elected to bat after winning the toss as Japan braced for a rare opportunity to take on the reigning T20 World Cup champions at home.

“I was a bit disappointed that 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi) wasn’t part of the squad today,” Kadowaki-Fleming said at the post-match presentation.

The Japan captain also spoke about Sooryavanshi ahead of the match, with the youngster’s inclusion being one of the talking points around the Indian team. Many expected Sooryavanshi, who with his rapid rise over the past year and a half, would be in contention to make his debut in this historic fixture.

INDIA SURVIVE JAPAN SCORE IN THRILLER 5 MORE

India scored just 32 in four of their five overs, with Japan’s Charlie Hara-Hinze making an immediate impact by dismissing Abhishek Sharma for a golden duck. Sanju Samson was also dismissed cheaply, leaving India in trouble before the end of the innings.

Japan made India work hard to win their chase. The hosts reached 25 for three after four overs and needed eight runs from the final over to complete a remarkable upset. Kadowaki-Fleming played a key role in the chase, scoring 12 before being dismissed in the last fourth over by Washington Sundar.

Axar Patel then bowled the final over conceding only two runs. Japan needed four off the last ball but could only manage a leg bye, allowing India to escape with a narrow two-run victory.

Despite the defeat, Japan produced a spirited performance against one of international cricket’s premier teams. For India, the match provided a valuable opportunity to prepare ahead of their Asian Games campaign, while Sooryavanshi will now have to wait for another opportunity to make his T20I debut.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

22 Sep 2026 17:19 IST