India will meet Japan in a one-off T20I on September 22, a fixture that marks the first time the two nations have faced each other in international cricket. The match, played under the banner of the Suzuki Cup, has been organised to mark 75 years of diplomatic ties between India and Japan, with the game taking place at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.
India arrive as the reigning T20 World Cup champions and three-time winners of the tournament. Japan, by contrast, are ranked 41st in the ICC men’s T20I team rankings, making this a significant step up in competition for the hosts.
India captain Shreyas Iyer spoke about his impressions of Japan after the squad’s arrival in the country.
“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,” Iyer said in a video posted by BCCI on its official social media handle.
“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,” Iyer said on the pretext of the upcoming encounter on Friday.
The fixture also serves as preparation ahead of the Asian Games men’s cricket tournament, which is scheduled to run from September 24 to October 3.
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
