India Defeats Japan by Two Runs After Late Wide Ball Reversal

India narrowly defeated Japan by two runs in a rain-reduced T20 match on Tuesday, surviving a late controversy over a reversed wide ball. The game was shortened to five overs per side because of bad weather and pitch moisture. Batting first, India scored 32 for 4 in their five overs. Shreyas Iyer scored 16 runs, while Sanju Samson made 10 and Ishan Kishan added 3. Abhishek Sharma was out for a duck. Japanese spinners troubled the Indian batting line-up, with Charlie Hara Hinze taking 2 wickets for 17 runs, Ibrahim Takahashi taking 1 wicket for 13 runs, and Benjamin Ito-Davis taking 1 wicket for 2 runs. Defending the small total, India faced pressure as Ravi Bishnoi gave up 10 runs in the third over and Washington Sundar conceded 7 runs while taking 2 wickets for 13 runs. Japan needed eight runs from the final six balls in the last over. Bowler Axar Patel kept things tight, while a slow outfield also helped India. During this final over, the third ball bowled to Alexander Shirai-Patmore was initially called a wide by on-field umpire Chris Thurgate. Indian captain Shreyas Iyer spoke with square leg umpire Chris Brown, and the umpires reversed the decision to a dead ball, removing the extra run given to Japan. Japan ultimately fell two runs short of the target.