Shreyas Iyer hopeful rain won’t halt historic Japan T20I in Sano
India captain Shreyas Iyer said he is excited to lead his side in their first men's international meeting with Japan, a one-off Suzuki Cup T20I at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture on Tuesday. He added he hoped the weather would not prevent the landmark fixture from taking place.
The match forms part of celebrations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan. India’s preparations have been disrupted by poor weather: the team’s scheduled training session on Monday was cancelled because of adverse conditions and a wet outfield. Typhoon Dujuan has prompted warnings of heavy rain and strong winds across parts of eastern Japan, creating uncertainty ahead of the contest.
At a pre-match press conference, Iyer said: "It is going to be a thrilling and exciting match for us. This is the first time we will be playing Japan, and, uh, I don’t know much about the conditions, the wicket, but looking forward to have a great match." '#TeamIndia have arrived in Japan and Captain Shreyas Iyer @ShreyasIyer15 is looking forward to the historic one-off T20I @CricketJapan pic.twitter.com/PZUo9kiCQ9— BCCI (@BCCI) September 21, 2026'
Iyer described the trip as an opportunity to experience a different culture and commented on the discipline he had observed: "It’s definitely, it’s completely different from what we’ve been used to doing in terms of going to Australia, England, New Zealand. It’s our very first time and the culture and the people are very different in terms of how they, how they are in terms of discipline." "I’m someone who loves to embrace new culture and get used to the vibe and the accommodation as quickly as possible. So this is a new challenge for us, and definitely looking forward to it."
On arrival Iyer spoke warmly about Japan and the team’s early impressions: "It’s beautiful. I mean, the time we landed, we saw the people very cordial, generous, and helpful in nature, which we see it back at home as well. The hospitality is brilliant, and, uh, yeah, I mean, it’s too early to talk about it, but I’m sure that I’ve heard special things from people about Japan as a country and Tokyo as a city as well, so looking forward to explore more."
Iyer said India had begun preliminary checks on the opposition and reiterated his wish for suitable weather: "Yeah, I saw a little bit of reels going here and there. But, uh, yes, we will be doing our studies and knowing about the players more and super excited for the game tomorrow. Hopefully it doesn’t rain and all the viewers and the spectators who will be coming to the stadium will get a nice competitive game." "No, I never thought about it, but yes, I mean, cricket is picking up in every country now and all the teams are becoming dominant in their own ways. So I’m sure this would be an exciting match as well tomorrow."
The fixture will also serve as part of India’s preparations ahead of the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games, which begins later in September, and India are scheduled to enter the quarter-final stage on September 28.
