'It's extremely special': Japan captain on historic India clash

When Naoki Alex Miyaji, the CEO of the Japan Cricket Association (JCA), used to speak about hosting India, not too many believed it would happen. The world champions flying all the way to Tokyo to play the 41st-ranked Associate nation seemed virtually impossible. The Asian Games came along and what had long seemed unlikely turned into reality for the little-known Japanese side, led by Kendel Kadowaki Fleming.

“The CEO has had this dream for a long time,” Kendel, Japan captain, tells Cricbuzz in a conversation. “When news first came up that we were hosting the Asian Games, Naoki had been talking about the concept of having India here for a game. So, for it to turn into reality is extremely special for a lot of people involved, and as a men's team, we can't wait.” They play India at Sano International Stadium on Tuesday (September 22).

Kendel knows what it took to have India in Japan. “It's taken a massive effort from a lot of people involved to make it happen.” Credit, of course, goes to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for accepting Japan’s proposal. “Also to our leadership team here at the Japan Cricket Association (JCA), and in particular, the CEO,” Kendel notes.

The Japanese are aware that India have not played a bilateral series or match against an Associate nation before, and they want to make the best of their good fortune. It presents an ‘extremely exciting opportunity’ for the Japan players. The experience of playing against the reigning world champions and the ensuring attention that the match will bring to the sport across the country is enormous.

“It's got the potential to accelerate the growth of cricket across the country,” remarks Kendel. “There's going to be more people here than ever before for a cricket match. And clearly the best quality players that we've ever had here as well.”

His side will rub shoulders with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, the very best in the world currently. “It still does sound quite surreal to be hearing about them playing here in Japan.” But the Japanese are not overawed by the might of the opposition. “I can't guarantee any outcome, but what I can guarantee is that we will try our best. We'll compete and hopefully we'll give it our best shot.”

Kendel (30) is a left-handed batter and a right-arm off-spinner. The Japan side has a good mix of experience and youth. A couple of exciting young players have come through the pathway system, one of them being Charlie Hara-Hinze, a 17-year-old all-rounder who bowls left-arm spin.

Historically, Japan have been a spin-heavy side. That is mainly because of the conditions that they often play in — not just in Japan, but in other countries, like PNG, Thailand and Oman. But they are known to punch above their weight. At the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2026, Japan delivered a landmark performance by defeating Kuwait by five wickets, demonstrating improved competitiveness against higher-ranked opposition.

As previously reported by Cricbuzz, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is excited about the September 22 encounter. “It's enormous, one of our aspirations as an international federation,” says William Glenwright, ICC Head of Global Development. More than 1,000 bilateral games were played last year and over 860 so far this year. Yet the world body regards the game as particularly significant.

“Having a full member and the world champions playing any associate member is hugely important to us from a cricket perspective. And then there's the other element of that – which is what does it mean for the country of Japan and cricket's significance in Japan? And that's the ripple effect of a fixture like this. Because it reflects a growing confidence in the game and in the full members' belief in the abilities of our associate members to host full members in major international cricket,” the ICC official tells this website.

Returning to Kendel, he is aware that, unlike in India, cricketers are not larger-than-life figures in Japan. The country’s biggest sporting superstar is Shohei Ohtani, a baseball icon. “He’s the Virat Kohli of baseball,” Kendel informs us. “It’s [baseball] definitely a sport that many of the supporters get behind in Japan.”

But Kendel believes cricket, too, can rise up the popularity charts in Japan one day. “There's no reason why we can't aspire to become like that in cricket someday. We've got a long road ahead if we can try to replicate the full-member countries for sure,” he signs off.

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