New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- India survived by the skin of their teeth in the one-off T20I against Japan on Tuesday, winning the contest by two runs in a nail-biting affair at the Sano International Cricket Ground. The five-over shootout in Sano after a rain delay went down to the final ball, when Japan had the chance of pulling off a historic upset in their first-ever T20I against a full-member nation. But Axar Patel proved the saviour, holding his nerve to seal a narrow win. The performance, however, could not mask the cracks as India's batting again highlighted their struggles against spin. The match witnessed its fair share of drama, as the final over saw the on-field umpires reverse a wide call under substantial pressure from both skipper Shreyas Iyer and Axar. Alexander Shirai-Patmore had moved across the crease while attempting a reverse sweep when Axar's delivery travelled down the leg side. Umpire Chris Thurgate first signalled a wide, prompting an immediate reaction from Axar and keeper Sanju Samson with Shreyas also getting involved in the discussion. Thurgate consulted square-leg umpire Chris Brown and withdrew the original call, converting it into a legal dot ball. The playing conditions do not state that a batter loses the chance of a wide simply by attempting a reverse sweep or switch-hit. The central question instead whether the delivery was sufficiently within the striker's reach, taking into account the batter's original position and subsequent movement. Rain delay The match got underway after a three-hour delay due to a wet outfield caused by overnight rain. The match was reduced to five overs per side. Winning the toss was the only positive for India in the first innings, as the batters struggled. Japan were quick to recognise the conditions, with all five overs bowled by spinners. Charlie Hara-Hinze, Ibrahim Takahashi and Benjamin Ito-Davis made full use of the slow turn on offer, bowling in good areas and leaving the Indian batters short of answers. Abhishek Sharma was the first to go, out for a golden duck. It was his seventh score of zero in T20Is in 2026, and his fifth first-ball dismissal. Sanju Samson (9), Ishan Kishan (3) and Shreyas Iyer (16) looked all at sea. India hit just two boundaries in the innings. Samson hit the first in the opening over and Shreyas the other in the last over. India finished on 32/4, a well below par score on a tricky pitch. Charlie Hara Hinze was the pick of the Japan spinners, taking 2/17. Japan too struggled. Ishan Kishan produced a direct hit from the deep catching opener Lachlan Yamamoto Lake short of his crease in the first over. Washington Sundar then struck twice. However, Ravi Bishnoi gave away 10 runs in his only over. It left Japan needing eight from the last six deliveries, with Axar tasked with bowling the final over. The drama over the wide followed. In the end, Japan needed four from the final delivery but managed only a single. After the win, Shreyas spoke about playing the historic T20I. "First, congratulations to Japan and India for 75 years of diplomatic relationship. It's something that we keep talking about every now and then when we arrive. Talking about today's occasion, it was a long travel for us," he said. Shreyas said India always wanted to play against Japan despite the three-hour bus journey to reach the venue. "We wanted to play the game, excite the crowd who had come and the supporters who had been trying to see to it that this match was organised. So, congratulations to everyone who has been present over here to deliver this particular game, and it's come out so fantastically. Even though it was five overs, I feel that at least we got to see and experience such a great performance from the Japanese team and the Indian players," he added....