Bhubaneswar: Love for cricket prompted two Odia men based in Tokyo to volunteer during the Indo-Japan rain-shortened five-over T20I thriller on Sept 22, 2026, at the Sano International Cricket Ground, Tochigi Prefecture, Kanto. India won the match by two runs, organised to celebrate 75 years of Indo-Japan friendship.Afroz Khan from Cuttack, who is the admin manager in the Japan Cricket League, and Abhinash Sahu, an engineer from Baripada, rolled up their sleeves with others to clear the ground of water and leaves after Typhoon Dujuan hit the area just before the match.“I have never seen people taking water off covers whilst it was still raining. On Monday, it absolutely bucketed down. There was so much rain overnight and in the morning that when we arrived there were floods of puddles all over the ground. After it stopped raining, we devised a shift plan and worked till 3 am,” said Alan Curr, COO of Japan Cricket Association.The primary job was to clear the ground flooded with water after the typhoon. “We had to collect the water with sponges and throw it out,” said Khan, who is an engineer in Tokyo. Besides, the ground capacity of 500 was increased to accommodate nearly 3,000 people by placing temporary chairs. After the initial work, Khan was assigned to the India team for player management. “I had to take care of whatever they required,” said Khan.Abhinash Sahu was part of the boundary staff team. “We needed to make sure that people were sitting and the decorum was maintained, no one crossed the boundary and the ball was returned,” said Abhinash. For him, it was a historic moment to be part of the match. “Cricket is something that every Indian loves. Being there at that moment is a privilege,” said Abhinash.The most heartening moment for him was when the Japanese team bowed down to all their supporters and helpers for their hard work in clearing the ground.
