Exciting time: Shreyas Iyer is looking forward to the Asian Games experience

Eager to experience his first Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya and interact with the country’s best athletes, India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer says he wants to understand what drives them at the highest level.

India take on Japan in a historic one-off T20I ahead of the start of the Asian Games campaign on September 28. Iyer said sharing the event with hockey players, Olympians and athletes from other disciplines would make it an unforgettable experience.

“It will definitely be an exciting time for me and also for the team because it will be my first match and there are some players who have been to the Asian Games before. So yes, an exciting time,” Iyer said.

He is also looking forward to India’s encounter with Japan, which will precede the start of their Asian Games campaign. “Our first game we’re going to play against Japan. So it’s going to be historic. And sharing a relationship with hockey players and other Olympians who would be there, athletes who would be there with us, would definitely be a great interaction,” he said.

Iyer said he would like to interact with athletes from different sports, learn about their mindset and cheer them on during their events.

“I’d be looking forward to going there and interacting with them and knowing what their mindset is. I’ll probably go to one of the games and cheer them on as well,” he said.

“So yeah, we’re going as a nation and we definitely want to make sure we come back victorious.

With the Asian Games still ahead of us, Iyer insisted that India’s focus is on the immediate challenge against Afghanistan.

“We are thinking about the first match. We know that Afghanistan is a good team and our preparation is also promising in the last few days,” he said.

“Ahead of the Asian Games, we have a great opportunity to play against a very good team. So we are looking for great competition. And yes, fingers crossed, we will show our best,” Iyer added.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

12 Sep 2026 20:27 IST