Goa, Sept. 21 -- Two players with family roots in Pakistan and New Zealand will find themselves on the same cricket field as India when Japan take on the reigning T20 world champions in a historic one-off match on Tuesday.

Ibrahim Takahashi and Reo Sakurano-Thomas have been named in Japan's squad for the fixture at the Sano Cricket Ground. Both players were born into Japanese families but grew up with strong connections to cricketing cultures outside Japan.

For Ibrahim, the journey began with his parents. His father, Umar, is from Pakistan, while his mother, Tomoko, was born in Japan. Ibrahim was born in Gotemba, a city in Shizuoka Prefecture near Mount Fuji, and spent his first eight years there before moving to Pakistan with his famil...