Japan Captain Kadowaki-Fleming Eyes Long-Term Cricket Growth After India T20I

Stella Disuja September 11, 2026 2 minutes read

Japan cricket is gearing up for a massive moment with the national men’s team set to take on India in a T20I one-off match on September 22 in Sano. Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, who played for the 2014-15 campaign in Australia, hopes it will be the start of not so much a run but something more akin to an entire marathon.

Instead of treating the match merely as a celebratory event, Kadowaki-Fleming hopes that Japan can treat it as a challenge against one of the strongest teams playing international cricket. This will also help players in Japan understand how the best teams have to perform if they expect to compete with top sides.

India has a strong team now and Japan can expect a tough challenge from them in every department. Kadowaki-Fleming praised the quality of Indian batting and fast bowling and spin options as well as the experience of being able to watch elite players up close.

Interestingly, apart from the fact that India is due to visit this year for their first international tour in 2023, it would also mark the first-ever men’s international clash between these two countries. As for Japan, the timing is notable as a packed cricket schedule is on the horizon with the Asian Games starting just days after the India fixture. Asian Games men cricket competition to start on September 24

Most of the balls faced by Japan allrounder Charlie Hara-Hinze were against Indian youngsters. He faced names like Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the 2024 Under-19 Asia Cup. Those challenges, Hara-Hinze said, highlighted to Japan players how slim the margin for error is against top-quality opposition.

The Japan team also hopes the exposure in international cricket will help stoke greater interest in Japan, where baseball is still king. For Kadowaki-Fleming, any interest in cricket from a new generation of young viewers would count as significant progress.

Hara-Hinze is equally positive about what lies ahead. If the facilities, sponsorship and development keep going he believes Japan can develop a far better cricket culture as soon as two or three decades down the track.

So the India T20I could be more than just one game for Japan. This could be a crucial initiation to the country’s goal of becoming a more serious player in international cricket.