India are set to face Japan in a historic one-off T20I on September 22, with the fixture marking the first-ever international cricket meeting between the two nations. The match will be played at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture as part of the Suzuki Cup. The special fixture has been organised to celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.

While India enter the contest as the reigning T20 World Cup champions and three-time winners of the competition, Japan will face a major challenge against one of the strongest teams in the format. Japan are currently ranked 41st in the ICC men’s T20I team rankings, making the game a valuable opportunity for the hosts to test themselves against elite opposition.

India captain Shreyas Iyer spoke about his first impressions of Japan after the Indian squad arrived in the country. The skipper praised the warmth and hospitality shown by the locals while expressing his excitement about exploring the country.

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“It is beautiful. I mean, the time we landed, we saw the people very cordial, generous, and helpful in nature, which we see at back at home as well. The hospitality is brilliant, and yeah, I mean, it is 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,” Shreyas Iyer said.

🗣️ 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀

🎥 #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

Looking ahead to the historic contest, Iyer admitted that India still have plenty to learn about the conditions and the wicket. “It is going to be a thrilling and exciting match for us. This is the first time we would be playing Japan, and do not know much about the conditions, the wicket, but looking forward to have a great match,” he said.

The T20I will also provide India with useful preparation ahead of the Asian Games men’s cricket tournament, scheduled from September 24 to October 3.

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India squad for Japan T20I and Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur and Vipraj Nigam