Search interest around the India vs Japan cricket match has surged in India, with the fixture emerging among the country’s trending sports searches on Google as the one-off T20I faces a delay because of a wet outfield.
According to a Google Trends snapshot captured on September 22, the search term “ind vs jap” crossed 2,000+ searches and was up 1,000% in India. Another related search, “jpn vs ind”, crossed 500+ searches and was also up 1,000%.
Both search terms were marked as active when the snapshot was taken.
The surge comes as India and Japan prepare to play an international men’s cricket match for the first time. The one-off T20I is being played at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Japan as part of what is being called Suzuki Cup.
The match was scheduled to begin at 9:30 am IST on September 22, but the toss was delayed because of a wet outfield. A further inspection was scheduled for 10:45 am.
Why India vs Japan is trending on Google
The fixture has drawn attention in India partly because it is the first international men’s cricket match between the two countries.
India are led by Shreyas Iyer, while Japan are captained by Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming. India’s squad includes several players who have featured prominently in domestic and international cricket, including Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
The match is also being held as part of celebrations marking the 75th year of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
The T20I is separate from the men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games. Cricket at the Asian Games is scheduled to begin later, with India set to play its first match on September 28.
Google Trends snapshot
The Google Trends data shows a sharp rise in searches around the fixture shortly before the scheduled start of play.
- “ind vs jap”- 2,000+ searches, up 1,000%
- “jpn vs ind”- 500+ searches, up 1,000%
- Both search terms were marked active when the snapshot was captured.
The search spike illustrates the interest generated by the unusual international fixture, with the delayed start adding another reason for users to search for updates on the match.