SANO, Japan (AP) — Japan and India celebrated 75 years of friendship with an international T20 cricket match as the backdrop on Tuesday, marking a new chapter in sports and diplomacy between the two.

The match was hosted as part of an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship.

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It was delayed nearly three hours, first by the late arrival of match officials and the Indian team due to traffic and then by a wet outfield. The match was then reduced to five overs per side as Japan gave the three-time world champions a royal scare before falling two runs short.

India opted to bat and finished 32-4 in its five overs, with skipper Shreyas Iyer scoring 16 off 12 balls. Japan’s Charlie Hara-Hinze, a 17-year-old left-arm spinner, etched his name in the history books by getting Abhishek Sharma out for a duck and also dismissing Iyer.

Axar Patel and Washington Sundar then held their own to defend India’s low score. Skipper Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming scored 12 runs, but was unable to take his side past the finish line as Japan finished 30-3.

Despite the defeat, it was a heroic effort from the 41st-ranked Japanese team against the biggest team in world cricket.

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