Bihar-born Japanese cricketer Abhishek Anand is hoping for a special reunion with his fellow Bihari cricketers — India's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan — as Japan prepare to host India in a one-off T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Sano, Japan on Tuesday, 21 September 2026. The match has given Anand, who swapped Indian soil for Japanese cricket in pursuit of the sport he loves, a chance to reconnect with familiar roots.

A Bihari Bond Across Borders

Anand, who represents Japan at the international level, has singled out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as his current favourite player, while also expressing a heartfelt desire to meet Ishan Kishan. 'Currently, everyone's favourite is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. But yeah, all the players in the Indian team are equally good,' Anand said, before adding, 'of course, (I want to meet) my Bihari brothers, Ishan Kishan and Sooryavanshi.'

Although Anand has not been named in Japan's squad for the Asian Games (Asiad) or the India match, he confirmed he will still be present with the team setup during the fixture and the subsequent Asiad matches in Nisshin.

The Accenture Offer That Changed Everything

Anand's journey to Japanese cricket is as remarkable as it is unlikely. While studying at college in India, he received a placement offer from Accenture Japan — and was given just two hours to decide whether to accept it. 'I didn't have any plans to go abroad. I wanted to stay in India and continue my passion for cricket as well as my job,' he recalled.

In those two hours, a quick search revealed that the Japanese team had that year qualified for the East Asia-Pacific World Cup qualifier — a discovery that proved decisive. 'I felt that there was hope for cricket in Japan as well,' Anand said. 'After seeing all this news, I thought about going to Japan to explore the opportunity there.' He accepted the offer, packed his bags, and flew to Japan.

From Tokyo Falcon to the National Team

Upon arriving in Japan, Anand joined the Tokyo Falcon Cricket Club, where three years of consistent performances earned him a call-up to the Japanese national cricket team. 'The journey in Japan is quite unbelievable. I never thought that I would play in the Japan team,' he said. His story is a rare example of the sport's quiet global spread, with diaspora cricketers carrying the game into unlikely corners of the world.

India-Japan Cricket Ties and What Anand Hopes For

'We are eagerly waiting to host the Indian team. We are eagerly waiting for this match. And (I hope) the India-Japan bond should stay strong so that we can do well in the future,' Anand said, framing the fixture not just as a sporting contest but as a symbol of bilateral cricketing diplomacy. The Sano International Cricket Ground hosts the one-off T20I before both nations shift attention to the Asiad in Nisshin.

As 15-year-old Sooryavanshi continues to draw global attention, Anand's eagerness to meet his younger compatriot captures the quiet pride that Bihar's cricket diaspora feels in watching one of their own rise to the top of the Indian game.