Shreyas Iyer excited for Japan T20I, hopes rain doesn’t spoil historic contest
India captain Shreyas Iyer is looking forward to a historic first meeting with Japan in men’s international cricket, but hopes the weather allows the landmark T20I to go ahead as planned in Sano on Tuesday.
The one-off Suzuki Cup match at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture is part of celebrations marking 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.
India’s preparations, however, 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 brought warnings of heavy rain and strong winds across parts of eastern Japan, adding uncertainty ahead of the match.
“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,” Iyer said in the pre-match press conference.
IYER KEEN TO EMBRACE JAPAN EXPERIENCE
The India captain said the trip offered the players an opportunity to experience a culture very different from what they have encountered during regular cricket tours to countries such as Australia, England and New Zealand.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Iyer also spoke warmly about his first impressions of Japan after the team’s arrival. He praised the hospitality and said he was keen to explore more of the country during the trip.
“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.
The captain has also had a brief look at Japan’s players and said India would study the opposition more closely before the match.
“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,” he said.
Iyer said the rapid growth of cricket across different countries has made encounters such as India’s meeting with Japan possible.
“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,” he said.
The match will be another part of India’s preparations before the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games, which begins later in September. India are scheduled to enter the quarter-final stage on September 28.
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