The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the Suzuki Cup will take place at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture on September 22.
“The match will be the first step of “Sport 75″, an initiative that stems from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and aims to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in the field of sports, taking note of India’s ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036,” the official release from BCCI stated. India are all set to face Japan in a T20 International match to launch the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations.
“India and Japan share a strong and longstanding relationship and friendship, and we are pleased that cricket will be part of the celebrations marking 75 years of bilateral relations between the two countries, and we thank the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) for its efforts in making this fixture possible.
BCCI Honorary Secretary, Mr Devajit Saikia, said: “The BCCI is delighted to be part of this historic occasion as the Indian and Japanese men’s teams come together for a special T20 International in Japan. JCA CEO Naoki Miyaji said: “To be able to invite the reigning World Champions to the home of cricket in Japan is a landmark moment for our association. Players like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shreyas Iyer will already be in Japan at that time as part of the Asian Games squad. This is a significant moment for cricket, as it takes the Indian team to new territory and provides an opportunity to introduce the sport to a wider audience in Japan and East Asia. We thank the BCCI for working with us towards this goal and greatly look forward to welcoming the passion of Indian cricket fans, and we actively encourage any local Japanese people curious about cricket to come and cheer on our team in what will be a truly memorable occasion.”
