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India vs Afghanistan three-match series is set to start on Sunday, 13th September, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. Ahead of the series, Shreyas Iyer answered the media during the pre-match press conference. He provided insights into captaining India during the forthcoming Asian Games 2026, which is set to begin right after this series.
The Men in Blue, after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, announced new captain Shreyas Iyer, and after that they lost two back-to-back series against Ireland and England, which came as a shocker for the fans and the cricketing fraternity. Later, they clean-swept Zimbabwe, winning the series 3-0. Now they have a tough challenge ahead in the form of Afghanistan.
"It is definitely an exciting time for me": Shreyas Iyer on captaining India in Asian Games
Ahead of the series beginner Shreyas Iyer, while speaking to the media, expressed his thoughts on captaining the side into the Asian Games, as he is excited for the role. He also mentioned playing Japan in a historic first-time match ahead of their first Asian Games match. Only a few players named in the team have previously played in the multi-national event.
Different sports. One tricolour 🇮🇳
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 12, 2026
🎥 #TeamIndia Captain @ShreyasIyer15 on the #AsianGames buzz & sharing space with India's best 🤝 pic.twitter.com/qy0nwGoDXy
Shreyas Iyer said (as quoted by Hindustan Times), "It is definitely an exciting time for me and also for the team because it's going to be my first time, and there are a couple of players who have already been in the Asian Games, last Asian Games. So yeah, exciting times. The first match we are going to play is against Japan, so that is going to be a historic one."
Shreyas Iyer is excited to meet other athletes
Shreyas Iyer also revealed that he is excited to meet all the other athletes and the hockey team players who would be present with them during the event. He is eagerly waiting to reach Japan and interact with the other athletes of different disciplines for the event, and Iyer also states that he would one day go and cheer for them from the crowd.
"And sharing a relationship with the hockey players and other Olympic players, athletes who would be there along with us, definitely would be a great interaction, and we would be eagerly waiting to go there and interact with them and know what their mindset is; probably go to one of the games and cheer for them as well. So yes, we are going as a whole nation and then definitely we want to see to it that we come back triumphant," Iyer said.
"See, we will go game by game": Shreyas Iyer on facing Afghanistan
Speaking about the match and the series, Shreyas states that he is a believer in following one game at a time. He also respects Afghanistan and also reveals that Team India’s preparation for the series has been excellent in the last few days, and the players are in a good mindset and will give their best on the field.
"See, we will go game by game; we don't have to think too far ahead. We are thinking about the first game; we know that Afghanistan is a nice team, and our preparation has also been promising for the last couple of days. Players are in great shape and mindset."
"So we have to stay in the present and see to it that we deliver when the time comes. And leading up to the Asian Games, we have got a great opportunity to play against a very quality side. So, looking for a great competition and yes, fingers crossed, we will deliver to the best of our abilities," the India T20I captain further went on to say."
