Photo via Wisden

Historic, dramatic, chaotic: The India-Japan clash was intensely fun while it lasted

India and Japan recently faced off in a short international fixture celebrating seventy-five years of bilateral diplomatic relations between the two nations. The world champions stopped over in Sano while en route to Nagoya for the Asian Games, playing a shortened match against the forty-first-ranked hosts.

A delayed start due to weather reduced the contest to five overs per side, preceded by a lengthy opening ceremony featuring the playing of both the national anthem and a multi-minute song pursuant to government mandates. When play finally began, expectations of an easy onslaught by the visitors were thwarted by a turning pitch that caused batting struggles and falling wickets.