Shreyas Iyer (C) of India during the 2nd T20 International match between India and Ireland at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on June 28, 2026. (CREIMAS)Ahead of their historic meeting with Japan on Tuesday, India skipper Shreyas Iyer said that cricket has been successful in expanding to unchartered territories. India and Japan will be meeting for the first time ever in international cricket when the two teams lock horns in Sano.“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 will be an exciting match as well tomorrow,” said Iyer in the pre-match press conference.The Indian captain also praised the country and it’s people, saying that the India players are looking forward to taking the field for the one-off friendly.“It’s beautiful. 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. It’s too early to talk about it (only been a day), but 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.“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 looking forward to have a great match. 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,” he added.The BCCI and the Japan Cricket Association had stated that the match will be the first step of “Sport 75”, an initiative that stems from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and aims to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in the field of sports, “taking note of India’s ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036”.After this match, both India and Japan will head to Nagoya to take part in the ongoing Asian Games.Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.Tags:Shreyas Iyer