India's historic cricket clash against Japan on September 22 has an intriguing twist — one of Japan's players has roots in India. Abhishek Anand, born in Patna, Bihar, is set to face the country of his birth after making his mark in Japan's national cricket team.
In a video doing the rounds on social media, Anand was questioned about a Bihari being part of the Japan cricket team.
"Are toh underestimate kar rahe hai, bihari kaha nahi hai bhai," he said.
When questioned who he would be supporting during the India vs Japan clash, Anand decided to cheekily skip the question to avoid any controversy.
Who is Abhishek Anand?
Anand's journey has attracted considerable attention in India, particularly in Bihar. According to a report by Prabhat Khabar, Anand was born in Bihar and completed his schooling there before studying Chemistry at IIT Kanpur. He subsequently moved to Japan for work but continued pursuing cricket, eventually progressing from club cricket to the national side.
Anand has since established himself as part of Japan's T20I setup. He has played 18 T20 internationals, scoring 275 runs at a strike rate of 112.70, with a highest score of 55. He has also contributed with the ball, taking one wicket in his international career.
The September 22 encounter will be Japan's first senior men's international against India. The match is also significant for Japanese cricket, with the country using the fixture as part of its preparations for the Asian Games, which begin shortly afterwards.
For Anand, however, the occasion could be even more personal. Having left India for professional opportunities in Japan and subsequently earned international recognition there, he now finds himself at the centre of one of the most unusual storylines surrounding India's first senior international against Japan.
