India, Japan to play historic men's T20I match ahead of Asian Games

New Delhi: The Indian men's cricket team will face Japan in a T20 International on September 22 to mark the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations.

India will also compete at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. The T20I against Japan will provide the Indian team with valuable match practice ahead of the quadrennial sporting showpiece.

Also Read: I never imagined to do that: Smriti Mandhana on surpassing Mithali's feat of leading run-scorer


"The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are delighted to announce that the men's teams from each nation will play a T20 International match to launch the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of India-Japan Diplomatic Relations," said BCCI in a statement.

The teams will compete for the Suzuki Cup at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.

Also Read: BCCI hands Bengal leg-spinner Rohit Yadav 2-year ban for age fraud, CAB crackdown on 62 cricketers

"The match will be the first step of "Sport 75", an initiative that stems from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and aims to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in the field of sports, taking note of India's ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036," the statement added.