India, Sept. 22 -- So near yet so far. Japan came perilously close to registering one of the biggest upsets in cricket history when they had world champions India by the scruff of their neck in the one-off T20I. However, late drama in the final over crushed Japan's dreams, allowing Shreyas Iyer to breathe a huge sigh of relief. In the end, India survived a monumental scare, scraping through by two runs ahead of their men's Asian Games 2026 campaign.

After restricting India to just 32 runs in five overs, Japan were in with a real chance. The pressure was visibly etched on Iyer's face and, by the time the last over began, Japan had the advantage, needing eight to win from six balls. Hoping to prevent another hit on his captaincy, Iyer hand...