Shreyas Iyer with umpire during the historic India vs Japan game. PC- XIt hasn't been too long since Japan almost pulled off a heist against India in a rain-curtailed fixture in Sano. If not for that infamous wide reversal by the on-field umpires, the hosts could have defeated the World Champions, led by Shreyas Iyer.Declan Suzuki McComb, who featured in Japan's Playing XI during the historic T20I vs India, spoke about the wide ball and how the Indian captain was able to "influence" the umpire to reverse his decision.In the last over of the historic India vs Japan game, the umpire called two of Axar Patel's deliveries wide. Iyer let the first one pass, but the Indian contingent made sure they didn't get robbed twice. Japan's Declan Suzuki McComb jokes about Shreyas Iyer’s influence over umpireSpeaking to the Grade Cricketer, the Japan all-rounder Declan Suzuki McComb jokingly stated that the Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer influenced the umpire to reverse the wide ball. However, he agreed that calling it a wide would have been the wrong call. "No, I won't do that. Yeah, I was surprised with the first wide but when they reversed the second one, I was okay with it because I knew it was the right decision. But I wish I had the pull that Shreyas Iyer has," Japan's Declan Suzuki McComb said. Also Read: Who Is Charlie Hinze, Japan’s 17-Year-Old Sensation Who Got Abhishek Sharma, Shreyas Iyer Out?Furthermore, the Japanese cricketer added that he wished he had the same convincing power as Iyer. "I reckon, I have tried plenty of times to reverse a decision, but I am just a noisy kid standing at cover."The Grade Cricketer @gradecricketer Japan’s Declan Suzuki-McComb on the India wide that wasn’t Sep 30, 2026, 7:54 AM Japanese players joined groundstaff in mopping ahead of India gameWhen the interviewer asked about the experience before the night of the India game, the all-rounder Declan Suzuki McComb revealed that the Japanese boys were so eager to play against the World Champions that they whipped water off the field with the ground staff to get the conditions match-ready. "I didn't get much of sleep, and a few of the other boys didn't either. It was pissing down all night. We actually went to the ground at around 10:30, a few of our boys and checked on what is happening. We got ourselves a bit dirty with the covers sweeping up water off the field and sponging as well. For all the guys that were there helping to get all the water off. We wanted to get ahead real bad,” he added. Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel saved India from embarrassmentDuring the rain-shortened fixture, India batted first and could only score 32/4 in five overs on a spinning track. Later, for India, Washington Sundar bowled a tight spell of two overs, giving away just 13 runs and picking up two timely wickets. Meanwhile, the hero of the defence was Axar Patel, who returned with zero for 7 in his two overs, including the final over, where he defended eight runs. Shreyas Iyer was named the Player of the Match for his crucial knock of 16 runs as India won by just two runs. India and Japan could’ve met again in the Asian Games 2026, but the hosts didn’t advance past the group stage after losing to Afghanistan by a massive margin of 48 runs. Meanwhile, the reigning Gold medalists are in the semifinal, where they will face Sri Lanka on Thursday. Also Read: Madhya Pradesh Squad Announced For Ranji Trophy Matches, Rajat Patidar Replaced As Captain
