Japan head coach Bedingfield relishes surprise second shot of taking on India via historic T20I game

New Delhi, Sep 20 (SocialNews.XYZ) A month ago, Japan coach Dhugal Bedingfield had no idea his side would be facing world champions India in a men’s T20I game in 2026. Cut to now, and on Tuesday, the Bedingfield-coached Japan will walk out against India in a historic 20-over game at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture, in front of a sell-out crowd.

The game, to be played for the Suzuki Cup, serves as a rare chance for Japan to test themselves against India, the current T20 World Cup holders. It also serves as a warm-up for the Asian Games men's T20 cricket competition starting two days later, where Japan will take on Afghanistan, while Shreyas Iyer-led India go straight into the quarter-finals.

"Well, this Japan-India match has come along pretty quickly and suddenly. So a month ago, we really had no idea that this match was going to go ahead and then it was talked about and I believe from a very high level in Japan and India, Prime Ministers were discussing it. It's all just come together very quickly.

"At first, when we first heard about it, we couldn't quite believe it. So now there's preparations in place in a hurry, getting our ground ready and all of that to accommodate a big crowd to come and watch it. My Japan squad has got together now. We're in a training camp and have been discussing it from Thursday morning and everyone's very excited," Bedingfield told IANS in an exclusive chat.

Asked whether the fixture had come as a surprise, he said, "Absolutely 100 percent. It's not something we thought was on the cards this year. But it's all happened very quickly. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to play the number one ranked team in the world.

“There's a lot of Indians living in Japan who are very excited about it as well and we're expecting a big crowd on Tuesday. It should be a really good atmosphere as well. It’s a great opportunity for our players and to benefit the game of cricket in Japan by showcasing Japan versus one of the best T20 teams in the world."

Tickets sold out soon after going on sale, but rain could make an appearance on match day. "We're hoping the weather holds. There's been quite a bit of rain around lately, which doesn't help with your preparation. But we're hoping for a window of fine weather so the game can go ahead," said Bedingfield.

Before facing Hong Kong at Sano earlier this month, Japan last played in May, when they finished the East Asia-Pacific qualifier with a win over Papua New Guinea. The result left the two teams level on points, with PNG taking first place on net run rate, and both advancing to the next stage of T20 World Cup qualifying.

"You're right, that was the last match we played back in May. It was about, what, four months ago now. I wouldn't say it's a distant memory, but that was a tournament which was the first round of T20 World Cup qualification. So that was a tournament we were trying to get through and progress to the next stage.

"That last match against PNG was quite tense. We were keen for a win there and we got the win. We ended up on equal points with PNG, who finished top on net run rate. But both teams were able to progress to the next round of T20 World Cup qualification.

"It was pleasing to beat PNG, who are ranked significantly higher than us. We've managed to beat some of the teams ranked above us over the last 12 months, which has probably just given us that confidence that we can compete with some pretty good teams," added Bedingfield.

Getting his players under one roof has been a struggle, with much of the squad spread across Japan and abroad. "I mean, that's a great question. It's something we've been wrestling with this year in particular. We've got a group of players who don't live in the same area and we've got a lot of players who are based overseas, playing cricket overseas, which is great. But how do we keep that group connected?

"We're doing what we can and technology helps. For example, if we've got guys training in Australia, say doing their remote training sessions, we've got that on video and that's linked to the coaches. Coaches need to get better at communicating regularly with players and connecting with players.

"So there's a number of things that we're doing to try to bring that group a little bit closer. But, it's a real challenge. So we had our training session on Friday, but that was the first time since May that we've had our whole squad training together," added Bedingfield.

He did not play down the gulf in firepower between the sides and whether the occasion could overwhelm Japan. "The way T20s play these days by the best teams, not just India, is you can get blown out of the water by just the firepower of some of these players.

“So we're just looking to compete as hard as we can. It's part of T20 cricket that you might have a big over go against you. But we've got to discuss how do we bounce back from that in-game and not let the occasion overwhelm us, as I think you were referring to."

Bedingfield coached Japan's Under-19 side at the 2020 World Cup in South Africa, where an India team featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi and Kartik Tyagi bowled Japan out for 41. Bishnoi is now a part of the main Indian team coming to Japan, while Tyagi is one of the three net bowlers attached with the team.

"I was head coach of the U19 team back in 2020 when we played in the World Cup in South Africa. One of the teams we played against was India. We had a young, inexperienced U19 team who managed to qualify for that World Cup. Coming up against Jaiswal, Bishnoi, and Tyagi, that was an amazing experience. Of course, they smashed us!

"I've had a number of roles at Japan Cricket through my tenure here. I started here about 12 years ago. I've worked in coaching and community cricket over that journey. Never expected to be coaching against India and to do that twice now, firstly at U19 level, and now at senior men's level, it's pretty interesting."

One of his current players has a more recent history with India's next wave. Charlie Hara-Hinze, a 17-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder who played at this year's Under-19 World Cup, is in the senior squad for the India game and the Asian Games, and came up against Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at the 2024 Under-19 Asia Cup.

For Bedingfield, the match is as much about what happens off the field in Japan as the result. "As a team, we're just looking forward to doing the best we can, whether we win or lose. Just showing that we can compete against the best teams in the world and really, by the way we go about our cricket, try to inspire the next generation of cricketers in Japan.

"Because to really compete long term against the best countries in the world, we need cricket to be a mainstream sport in Japan. We need thousands and thousands of kids picking up cricket bats and choosing cricket as their sport of choice. So, we're looking to do more than just play one game of cricket. We're looking to set an example for future generations of cricketers and cricket fans in this country," he concluded.

Source: IANS