Shreyas Iyer on Asian Games 2026: India Captain Excited to Meet Olympic Athletes in Japan

Shreyas Iyer, who is the captain of the T20Is for India, is extremely excited about taking part in the Asian Games that will take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. It will be his debut at the Asian Games. Ahead of the T20Is series between India and Afghanistan, Iyer had an important announcement during a press conference where he emphasized the significance of India’s first match against Japan. He also mentioned that he is waiting to meet the players of different sports, including Olympics players. 

The Asian Games 2026 will be played in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4. The men’s cricket tournament for the event will be played from September 24 to October 3.

Different sports. One tricolour ??

? #TeamIndia Captain @ShreyasIyer15 on the #AsianGames buzz & sharing space with India's best ? pic.twitter.com/qy0nwGoDXy

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— BCCI (@BCCI) September 12, 2026

Shreyas said, "This is definitely an exciting time for me and the team. This will be my first Asian Games, while some of the team members have already participated in previous editions. So, it's an exciting time for all of us. Our first match is against Japan, which is going to be a historic occasion."

He further added, "It will definitely be a great opportunity to share my experiences with the hockey players and other Olympic athletes present there. I'm very excited to interact with them, understand their thoughts, and hopefully, participate in some of their events and cheer them on. We're going there as a nation, and we definitely want to ensure that we return with a victory and make the country proud."

Aggressive. Trusting. Fearless ?

? #TeamIndia Captain @ShreyasIyer15 on the mindset of Head Coach @GautamGambhir & the bond they share ?#AFGvIND pic.twitter.com/IURQ8F3dax — BCCI (@BCCI) September 12, 2026

Iyer will lead India in the men's cricket event at the Asian Games 2026, with a strong team comprising experience, youth, and all-round options. The 15-member squad includes big names like Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar, along with emerging talents like Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Indian squad announced for the Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dubey, Tilak Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.