Cricket news 2026: India vs Japan T20 result, video, wide decision overturned by umpire, Shreyas Iyer argument

India have scraped home by the skin of their teeth and avoided an enormous upset against Japan – but it didn’t come without some late controversy.

In a rain-affected match that was restricted to just five overs per side, India posted a total of 4-32 after Shreyas Iyer nailed a quickfire 16 off 12.

Japan, who are the ICC’s 41st-ranked team in the format, put up a serious fight in the run-chase that went down to the wire at Sano Cricket Ground.

Axar Patel took the ball for India in the final over and with Japan requiring six runs to win off the last four deliveries, umpire Chris Thugate called a leg-side wide.

It would have meant Japan needed five runs to win off four deliveries.

However, in a bizarre turn of events, Indian players started arguing with Thurgate and fellow umpire Chris Brown, before the call was eventually overturned due to the fact Japan batsman Alex Shirai-Patmore attempted a reverse sweep.

India hung on to win by two runs, with the final three deliveries all singles from Japan, who narrowly missed out on a monumental upset.

Wisden Cricket journalist Ben Gardner was one of countless people to slam the incident on social media, even if it was within the laws of the game for the umpire to change his decision for a wide before the next delivery is bowled.

“With five off four needed for the biggest upset in cricket history, India have just bullied the umpires into overturning a wide call against Japan,” he said via X.

“Genuinely disgraceful. No matter what happens from here, India berating the umpires because they are in danger of losing against Japan is very funny.”

The match was a one-off T20 fixture between the world’s most powerful nation and the relative minnows in Japan.

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