Former India player Madan Lal commented on Team India’s close two-run victory over Japan in the one-off T20I. The historic match took place at the Sano International Cricket Stadium. It was a five-over-per-side affair due to rain. Shreyas Iyer won the toss and decided to bat first. India found it tough, scoring just 32/4. However, India held their nerves to defend the total, restricting Japan to 30/3 as well.

“It is not a wake-up call. I do not agree that it is a wake-up call. You are comparing Japan with India. I think they would have just started playing cricket. Our players play day in and day out. There is no comparison. It is difficult for minnow countries to come up. They should participate; I do not say no, but the standard needs to be there,” he said. (via SportsNext)

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli

“How many minnow countries have had an actual impact? What did Afghanistan do in the recent series? India beat them 3-0. How much has their standard improved? When they came at the start, it was good. But now all teams know how they play and how to play against them,” he again shared.

India will now prepare to play at the Asian Games 2026 Men’s cricket event. They will play directly in the quarterfinal on Monday, September 28 as well. Madan Lal backed India to win the gold medal.

“I do not know the conditions there. But definitely India has a chance. The players are very experienced. They know the job. They know what to do. Hopefully they win the gold medal, which they deserve. It is good for cricket that it is there in the Asian Games. But something has to be done about the standard. It is interesting to watch when there are good games. Everyone wants to see good games. They have to think about how to improve the standard,” he concluded.