Japan’s attitude is impeccable: India skipper Iyer after massive scare

India skipper Shreyas Iyer during his 16 against Japan in Sano on Tuesday. Pic/BCCI

Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer termed the track at the Sano International Cricket ground as "difficult to bat on" as he tried to explain his team's struggle in notching a two-run win over unfancied Japan in a one-off T20 International here on Tuesday.

With left-arm spinner Charlie Hara-Hinze and off-spinner Ibrahim Takahashi turning the ball by a country mile, India were restricted to a below-par 32 for 4 in a rain-hit five-overs-a-side match but did well enough to restrict Japan to 30 and avoid what would have been a huge upset.

"The ball was turning square. It was a very difficult wicket to bat on. We saw the openers as well, not being able to gauge the pace of the spin," Iyer said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Iyer was India's top-scorer with 16 and even he found it difficult to get going. "I decided it's easy to take singles and doubles, interact with the batsman who came in with me. Then I decided, I will be playing on the merit of the ball. If the ball is turning and holding a bit, I'll nudge for singles and doubles," the skipper said.

With the match being curtailed to five-overs per side, the gulf in quality between the two sides was suddenly bridged. "See I always keep saying five overs game, it can go anywhere. The attitude that the Japanese team showed today is impeccable. I'm sure they're on the right track, for us it was a great practice on the wicket."

The Indian team will now be seen at the Asian Games in Nagoya where it will open the campaign in the quarterfinal stage on September 28. For Japanese skipper Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, it was a case of so-near-yet-so-far.

"The fact that we were able to run the best team in the world to the last ball, we are proud of the cricket group and broader community. The people working on this ground through the whole night, made this game happen," Kadowaki-Fleming said.

He always felt that facing Indian spinners on that track would be a difficult proposition. "Axar (Patel), (Ravi) Bishnoi bowling on our wicket, we knew it was going to be a challenge, but at 6.5 RPO you know your mind wanders."

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