India captain Shreyas Iyer is thrilled to be in Japan to play the hosts in a T20I game at Sano on Tuesday. The match is being organised to celebrate 75 years of India-Japan diplomatic relations. The world champions reached the “land of the rising sun” on Sunday, and after the match, will set their sights on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, looking to defend their gold medal from the previous edition in China. While there are no comparisons between the teams, it’s always fun to visit a new destination and enjoy many things along with the game.
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Ahead of the match, Iyer spoke to the media and shared his first impressions of the country. “It’s beautiful. I mean, the time we landed, we saw the people, very cordial, generous, and helpful in nature, which we see back home as well. The hospitality is brilliant. I’ve heard special things from people about Japan as a country and Tokyo as a city as well, so I’m looking forward to exploring more,” he said.
“Definitely, it’s completely different from going to Australia, England or New Zealand. It’s our very first time [in Japan], and the culture and the people are very different in terms of discipline. I’m someone who loves to embrace new culture and get used to the vibe and accommodation as quickly as possible. So, this is a new challenge for us, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
At such unique matches, winning can’t be that important for a team like India, as it’s inevitable. Diving into the unknown has its own thrills. “Yes, it is going to be a thrilling and exciting match for us. This is the first time we will be playing Japan, and I don’t know much about the conditions, the wicket, but I am looking forward to having a great match,” he said.
However, there is a little rain threat hanging over the game. Monday’s practice session couldn’t happen for the same reason. When Iyer was asked if he had seen any videos of the Japanese players in action, he replied, but also expressed his concerns about the possibility of rain. “Yeah, I saw a little bit of reels going here and there, but 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,” adding he never imagined growing up in India as a cricketer that one day he would be lining up against Japan. “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 will be an exciting match as well tomorrow.”
Finally, Iyer replied to a query about why the Indian Premier League (IPL) was so important to kids in India. “Because I feel that it’s a great platform for them to showcase their talent. Recently, there is a youngster in our team, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who came up through the ranks through the IPL, and that’s basically a solid platform for everyone who is seeking to showcase their talent and come up through the ranks. Also adding to that, I feel that it’s a great platform to come into the Indian team because whenever you perform in the IPL, the eyes are always on you and you get recognised pretty quickly,” he said.
The match begins at 09:30 am (IST).