
Sandy Verma
Tezzbuzz|23-09-2026
The Indian and Japanese men’s cricket teams will face each other in their first-ever T20 match at the Sano International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. This match is considered a crucial practice match for the Indian team in preparation for the 2026 Asian Games. However, fans are keenly watching whether young batsman Vaibhav Suryavanshi will find a place in the playing eleven.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi performed brilliantly during the Zimbabwe tour, earning him the Player of the Series award. Despite this, he was forced to sit out the recent series against Afghanistan. Sanju Samson was preferred in his place, who has cemented his place with two consecutive half-centuries.
There appears to be only one way for Suryavanshi to be included in the playing XI: if captain Shreyas Iyer rests wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan. In that case, Sanju Samson could bat at number three, opening up the option for Suryavanshi to open alongside Abhishek Sharma. However, given Ishan’s recent consistent performance, dropping him would be difficult for the team management.
This competition isn’t just limited to the field. This historic match is being held to commemorate 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
It is expected that the Indian team will not make any major changes to its winning combination:
Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur.




