Sano, September 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A love for cricket and his belief in the sport’s potential in Japan took Bihar-born IITian Abhishek Anand to the Land of the Rising Sun, where an overseas job opportunity eventually led him to the national cricket team.
Abhishek was in college when Accenture Japan visited his campus for placements. After clearing the interview, he was given just two hours to decide whether to accept the offer and move to Japan.
His initial plan was to remain in India, continue working on his cricket career and take up a job. But during those two hours, he began researching cricket in Japan. The fact that the Japanese team had qualified that year for the East Asia-Pacific World Cup qualifier convinced him that the sport had prospects in the country.
“I wanted to stay in India and continue my passion for cricket as well as my job. So, during those two hours, I thought a lot about what to do, whether I should go to Japan or not,” Abhishek told IANS.
“Then, I thought of searching for some cricket facts in Japan. So, fortunately, that year the Japanese team qualified for the East Asia-Pacific World Cup qualifier. I felt that there was hope for cricket in Japan as well. After seeing all this news, I thought about going to Japan to explore the opportunity there. After two hours of research, I accepted the offer and came to Japan,” he added.
Once in Japan, Abhishek immediately began contacting cricket clubs and joined Tokyo Falcon Cricket Club. His performances over the next three years caught the attention of the Japan Cricket Association (JCA).
“The journey in Japan is quite unbelievable. I never thought that I would play in the Japan team,” said Abhishek, who has played 18 T20Is for Japan.
According to Abhishek, the JCA approached him in his third year and encouraged him to continue working hard with a view to joining the national team. His consistent performances eventually earned him selection in 2025.
“I continued to play well. Then, in 2025, I was selected for the national team,” he said.
Abhishek has lived in Patna since childhood but originally hails from Rohtas in Bihar. His family has always wanted him to maintain a stable career alongside cricket.
“The first priority for them is that I have a backup job, and that’s what I am doing as well. And for them, secondary is cricket. But for me, it’s the opposite — primary is cricket, and secondary is job. But anyway, if I am able to manage both job and cricket, they are happy with that,” he said.
Abhishek is not part of Japan’s squad for the historic one-off T20I against India at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Tuesday. The match is being played to mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
Despite missing out on selection, he plans to be around the team and support the occasion.
“I am excited about that match. Still, I am not in the squad, but I will be around the team, supporting the team. If I am from India, I will support India and Japan. Basically, it should be a good match between Japan and India. I will be supporting the game of cricket,” he said.
Abhishek made his T20I debut in 2025 and has since represented Japan in 18 matches. He has one half-century and can also contribute with occasional medium-pace bowling.
For now, he intends to continue pursuing both his professional career and cricket in Japan.
“I will continue my cricket career along with my job and see if I can grow further in cricket; then we will see what the future holds. But as usual, I will be maintaining both my job and cricket at the same time,” he said.
FOLLOW NOW
