India skipper Shreyas Iyer expressed his excitement ahead of the team’s historic one‑off T20I against Japan, scheduled for September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.
The fixture marks the launch of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of India‑Japan diplomatic relations. Upon arrival, Iyer praised the hospitality of the hosts, describing the welcome as “cordial, generous and helpful.”
“It is going to be a thrilling and exciting match for us. This is the first time we would be playing Japan and don’t know much about conditions, the wicket, but looking forward to have a great match,” Iyer said in a video shared by the BCCI.
India enter the contest after a 3‑0 T20I series win over Afghanistan in New Delhi. Following the Japan clash, the team will travel to Nagoya to begin their Asian Games 2026 gold‑medal defence, starting from the quarterfinal stage on September 28.
India’s squad for the Japan T20I and Asian Games includes: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam.
