LUCKNOW, May 3 -- "I want to promote cricket in Japan" were the final words of Abhishek Anand during his interview when a software company asked him about his aim in Japan, an island country in East Asia, in 2021 during the campus placement at IIT Kanpur.

Anand's answer left everyone burst out laughing then, but the boy from Patna was clear about his vision since his joining the company in 2022. And the all-rounder made it happen by getting selected in the men's cricket of Japan team last week for big events, including ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia and EAP Final in October.

Anand, 27, who has done his masters in chemistry from IIT Kanpur, has made it to Japan's national team while showing his brilliance in domestic events and for Tokyo F...