Sano International Cricket Ground: Bihar-born Japanese cricketer Abhishek Anand wants a special meeting with fellow Biharis Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan as Japan host India for a one-off T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground here on Tuesday.
Abhishek, who had to switch borders from India to Japan for the love of the sport, highlighted that Sooryavanshi is currently his favourite player and that he wants to meet him and Ishan if there is a chance.
Although he has not been selected in the squad for the Asiad and the India game, he would still be around with the team.
"Currently, everyone's favourite is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. But yeah, all the players in the Indian team are equally good," he told IANS, before expressing, "of course, (I want to meet) my Bihari brothers, Ishan Kishan and Sooryavanshi."
A special message for the 15-year-old rising sensation? Abhishek says he is very eager to see the Indian team and Sooryavanshi in Sano, and then in Nisshin, for the Asiad.
"We are eagerly waiting to host the Indian team. We are eagerly waiting for this match. And (I hope) the India-Japan bond should stay strong so that we can do well in the future," Abhishek said.
His love for cricket brought him from India to Japan; while studying in college, he received a placement offer from Accenture Japan. "So, the journey in Japan is quite unbelievable. I never thought that I would play in the Japan team," Abhishek further said.
"We were getting placements in our college. Japanese companies came to our college. We never thought that we would go for an abroad placement. I just applied and tried to get in touch about an interview to see what the interview abroad was like. So, I sat for the interview with Accenture Japan.
"And then I got selected for Accenture Japan. After that, I was given 2 hours to decide whether to accept this offer. So, I was thinking that I didn't have any plans to go abroad. I wanted to stay in India and continue my passion for cricket as well as my job. So, during those 2 hours, I thought a lot about what to do, whether I should go to Japan or not.
"We were getting placements in our college. Japanese companies came to our college. We never thought that we would go for an abroad placement. I just applied and tried to get in touch about an interview to see what the interview abroad was like. So, I sat for the interview with Accenture Japan.
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He came to Japan and played for Tokyo Falcon Cricket Club, where he performed well over the first three years and received a call-up to the Japanese national team.