Tuesday, September 22, 2026, will be a historic day for cricket as India and Japan face each other for the first time. The two Asian sides will collide in a one-off T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground, Sano, Kanto.

India are overwhelming favourites heading into this clash. This will be a good dress rehearsal for them ahead of the Asian Games, where they will be facing tougher opposition teams. However, the clash on Tuesday will give the Men in Blue a chance to get acclimatised to the conditions. Talking about the Indian team, they have all bases covered, despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Varun Chakaravarthy.

It will be interesting to see which combination of spinners India play in the one-off game. They have Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, and Vipraj Nigam in their ranks. Axar and Bishnoi are the frontrunners as they played together in the last two T20Is against Afghanistan earlier this month. However, giving Nigam a taste of international cricket in this encounter might not be a bad idea. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could also get a game instead of Sanju Samson, who will be the first-choice opener during the Asian Games.

For Japan, this is a great opportunity for them to test themselves against the reigning T20 World Cup champions. They have a spirited side led by Kendel Fleming and will look to give a good account of themselves. While beating India or even pushing them might sound far-fetched, they will look to do their basics right and give their fans hopes of a bright future.

JPN vs IND 2026: Match Details

Sano International Cricket Ground, Sano: Pitch Report

In the last six matches that have been played at the Sano International Cricket Ground, four have been won by the team batting first. As a result, the team winning the toss on Tuesday will want to bat first and post a massive total. However, India haven’t played at this venue before and to gauge the conditions, they might even opt to have a bowl.

JPN vs IND: Predicted Playing XIs

Japan

Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake, Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (C), Benjamin Ito-Davis, Charlie Hara-Hinze, Ibrahim Takahashi, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Wataru Miyauchi (WK), Declan Suzuki-McComb, Makoto Taniyama, Shoma Sugaya-Slater.

India

Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi.

India meet Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club in Harare in the first T20I on Thursday, July 23. This is going to be an important three-match series for both teams.

India are heading into this series on the back of a winless campaign in the United Kingdom in the shortest format. Newly-appointed skipper Shreyas Iyer didn’t have a great start to his tenure. The Men in Blue lost to Ireland 0-2 and in the subsequent series against England, they suffered a 0-4 defeat. Shreyas would be desperate to win his first game as India’s captain.

India have a young side at their disposal, especially in the bowling department. All eyes will be on pacers Ashok Sharma and Mayank Yadav. However, only one of them might get the nod on Thursday. Rinku Singh has returned to the side and it will be interesting to see how India use him. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will also want to make amends after a scratchy start to his international career.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe are heading into this contest after losing to Bangladesh 1-2 in a T20I series that concluded last week. There is a lot of potential in the Zimbabwean side. They have a very potent bowling attack, spearheaded by Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani. Sikandar Raza’s mystery spin will be crucial for the Chevrons.

However, it will be interesting to see whether they play a second spinner in Wellington Masakadza or rely on part-timers like Ryan Burl and Brian Bennett. The latter will also have a key role to play at the top of the order with the bat in hand.

ZIM vs IND 2026: Match Details

Harare Sports Club, Harare: Pitch Report

The Harare Sports Club is expected to provide a balanced surface. While the pacers should generate a good amount of bounce, batters who can get accustomed to the conditions can score a lot of runs. The new ball will be crucial for both teams as the fast bowlers would look to make early inroads. If teams can retain wickets through the middle overs, they can end up with a substantial total.

ZIM vs IND: Predicted Playing XIs

Zimbabwe

Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (WK), Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza (C), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Milton Shumba/Wellington Masakadza, Brad Evans, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri.

India

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur/Ashok Sharma.

India will look to give their passionate fans something to cheer when they take on England in the inconsequential 5th T20I at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Saturday, July 11.

Shreyas Iyer and Co. have played abysmal cricket on the tour of the United Kingdom so far, starting from the 0-2 whitewash at the hands of Ireland. After the series opener against England was washed out, India have lost three games in a row. The Three Lions have already bagged the series with an unassailable 0-3 lead. However, Harry Brook and Co. have a chance to rub salt into India’s wounds on Saturday.

India’s batting has let them down on the tour. In the fourth T20I, they were quite conservative and despite Shreyas’ unbeaten 49-ball 80, the tourists could only post 158/7 batting first. In reply, England romped home in just 13.5 overs with nine wickets to spare, highlighting that the surface had no demons in it.

India will have to come up with a much better performance on Saturday to salvage some pride. With Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy being ruled out due to hamstring injuries, the bowling looks inexperienced and vulnerable too.

ENG vs IND 2026: Match Details

The Rose Bowl, Southampton: Pitch Report

The Rose Bowl in Southampton generally provides well-balanced surfaces. The captain who wins the toss would want to bat first and put up a score of around 170-180. Batters can hit through the line and the outfield is quick. The new-ball bowlers should get the ball to swing upfront. If the opening batters can see that spell out, they can set a solid foundation for the batters to follow.

ENG vs IND: Predicted Playing XIs

England

Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (WK), Harry Brook (C), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.

India

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.