India's first-ever international cricket match on Japanese soil was reduced to the minimum five overs required to constitute a valid match as the ground was still sodden from heavy rainfall on the two days leading up to September 22.

India, however, survived the banana peel of a five-over shootout on what was a possible reincarnation of the mythical sticky dog. In the process, they created the record for the smallest total successfully defended in a five-over T20, winning a thriller by two runs despite scoring only 32.

T20 World Cup champions India will take on Japan in a first-ever T20I match at Sano International Cricket Ground on September 22.

"When [the game] gets that close, [the loss is] actually a little bit tougher to take," Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming says after narrow defeat to India

Overnight rain in Tokyo and nearby areas led to delay of more than two hours in the one-off T20I match between India and Japan at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

Cricket occupies a small space in Japan's consciousness, but that space, ahead of India's historic T20I visit to the country, is growing steadily