Archive · 21 Sep 2026
Japan coach welcomes historic India T20I as cricket grows
Japan is going to play India in a special cricket match.
The game will take place in Sano on Tuesday.
Dhugal Bedingfield is Japan’s coach.
He first became involved with Japanese cricket after moving there as a teacher.
Cricket has grown in Japan, with many clubs and teams now playing.
Japan’s players come from different family and national backgrounds.
Many of them have regular jobs or are students too.
Bedingfield says India is helping cricket become more global by agreeing to play Japan.
He hopes the match will encourage more people in Japan to enjoy cricket.
Japan will play India in a historic one-off T20I in Sano on Tuesday.
Head coach Dhugal Bedingfield joined the Japan Cricket Association in 2014 after earlier living and playing club cricket in Japan.
Japan’s domestic scene now includes four divisions of 40-over cricket and about 85 senior men’s T20 teams.
The national squad includes Japanese-born players, dual-heritage cricketers and eligible expatriates under International Cricket Council rules.
Many Japan players work or study alongside cricket and receive limited financial support for tournaments and tours.
- Who
- Japan, coached by Dhugal Bedingfield, will play India.
- What
- The teams will meet in a historic one-off T20I.
- When
- The match is scheduled for Tuesday.
- Where
- The match will be held in Sano, Japan.
- Why
- The fixture is intended to support cricket’s growth as a global sport and give Japan a high-profile contest.
- Match
- One-off T20I between Japan and India
- Venue
- Sano, Japan
- Timing
- Tuesday
- Japan head coach
- Dhugal Bedingfield
- Domestic cricket
- Four divisions of 40-over cricket
- Senior T20 teams
- About 85 teams in Japan
- Player eligibility
- Passport, birth or at least three years of residency under International Cricket Council criteria