Japan Players Who Can Be Troublemakers For India In One-Off T20I Match

Japan announced their T20I squad for one-off match vs India [Source: AFP]

In a historic move, the Indian side will play a one-off T20I match against Japan, right before their Asian Games 2026 tournament begins. The match will happen on September 22, and the fixture is set to open celebrations for the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

On Monday, Japan announced its squad for the historic T20I match against India, with some renowned names picked by the management. The Asian side will certainly be an underdog against a ruthless Indian team, but Japan certainly has a few players who can spring a surprise against the visitors.

In this article, we take a look at Japanese players who can cause trouble for the Indian team in the one-off T20I game

1) Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming

Japan’s leading run-getter in the T20I format, Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, has been their best player in this format and has racked up plenty of runs to trouble the bowlers.

A talented left-handed batter, Kadowaki-Fleming will lead the Japan team against India, and he certainly could cause trouble for the Indian bowlers.

(Kadowaki-Fleming T20I stats)

• As the stats reveal, the Japan skipper has been outstanding in this format, and has scored 1871 runs in just 55 matches, with a brilliant strike rate almost touching 140s.
• He has also scored two centuries in T20Is and has the ability to play aggressively, which could trouble the Indian bowlers.

2) Ibrahim Takahashi

Japan bowler Ibrahim Takahashi could specifically be used to counter the Abhishek Sharma-Vaibhav Sooryavanshi threat at the top. A right-arm off-break bowler, Takahashi could be used inside the powerplay to nullify the left-handed Indian openers.

(Indian left-handers vs off-break bowling in T20Is)

• As the data reveals, the Indian left-handed batters often struggle against off-break bowlers and have thrown their wickets away to them.
• Abhishek has been dismissed seven times against off-break bowling, Sooryavanshi has been knocked over twice, and Tilak has been dismissed against them six times in T20Is.

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• As a result, Takahashi becomes a key bowler for Japan, and it won’t be a surprise if he opens the bowling attack against India.

3) Makoto Taniyama

The 30-year-old leg-spinner, who made his T20I debut against Indonesia in 2022, has always idolised Shane Warne. The spinner has remodelled his actions by watching videos of Shane Warne on YouTube, and he also wears the number 23 jersey in tribute to his idol.

He has played 40 T20I games for Japan and has scalped 42 wickets, with an outstanding economy of 5.6. Someone who idolises the great Shane Warne has learnt the art of flighting the delivery, and the Indian batters could fall into his trap.

Taniyama is also quicker through the air, and he can deceive the batters with his quicker deliveries.

4) Charlie Hara-Hinze

Japan’s third-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, Charlie Hara-Hinze is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, and his wicket-taking ability at regular intervals could cause trouble for the Indian batters.

(Hara-Hinze T20I stats)

• As the data reveals, Hara-Hinze has been an outstanding player for Japan, and most importantly, he is a wicket-taking threat.
• In 37 T20I matches, the bowler has scalped 45 wickets, with an outstanding economy rate of 4.96.

Conclusion

Japan may start as underdogs in the one-off T20I match against India, but their team certainly has the firepower to cause trouble for the reigning T20 World champions.

In captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, the team has a destructive batter, and the side also boasts quality bowlers like Hara-Hinze and Taniyama, who can be more than useful against the Indian batting lineup.

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