Sano, Sept. 22 -- Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming said the team felt a sense of pride after pushing "best team in the world" India to the last ball of the match in their thrilling five-over T20I, despite suffering a narrow two-run defeat in Sano on Tuesday.

India and Japan played a thrilling, rain-shortened five-over one-off T20I, with Axar Patel defending eight runs in the final over to seal a two-run win after Japan restricted the reigning world champions to 32/4. Notably, the match was held to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Kadowaki-Fleming said the team was proud of pushing India to the final ball despite the narrow two-run defeat. He praised the wider cricket community for making the match po...