Shreyas Iyer keen to adapt quickly as India head to Asian Games

India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer sees the Asian Games as an opportunity to adapt to unfamiliar conditions, build team synergy and carry momentum from the 3-0 Afghanistan series win. He also praised Abhishek Sharma and the team's positive dressing-room culture

New Delhi: India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer said he is treating his maiden appearance at the upcoming Asian Games as an opportunity to adapt quickly to unfamiliar conditions while building team synergy on the back of India’s recent 3-0 series triumph over Afghanistan.

The Iyer-led Indian team will leave for Japan on an early morning flight on Sunday and will first play a one-off T20I against Japan before entering the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

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“Regarding the Asian Games, this is going to be my first time. So, I am looking forward to going there and, firstly, getting used to the conditions because we have never been there before.

“So, having a set of ideas about how the wickets are over there, it’s going to be a combination of everything, and the most important aspect is that, again, we gel along as a team. This series is definitely a great momentum towards the Asian Games,” Iyer said in a video posted on BCCI’s social media accounts on Saturday.

Reflecting on India’s recent series victory over Afghanistan, Iyer praised the relentless hunger shown by the opposition while hailing his own squad’s dominant and optimistic mindset throughout the assignment.

“All the Afghani players, if you see and look at them, they are rollicking characters and they have this phenomenal attitude when they step onto the field, they want to win. They have that hunger and zest in them to come out here and perform.

“The first series win was in Zimbabwe. The second series win, and that too away, but at home. It feels amazing. Every individual took that responsibility to go out there and perform to the best. I feel that it was the contribution that made us win the series with a comprehensive victory.

“I think the approach itself was optimistic. When we stepped onto the field, we wanted to set a rhythm for ourselves going into the tournament and then, in match one, you saw how dominating we were in our approach. The attitude was phenomenal, and I think that carried on in the second game and third game as well here we saw,” he elaborated.

Iyer also reserved special praise for opener Abhishek Sharma, who produced explosive performances at the top of the order, including hitting a record 30-ball ton in the final game on Thursday.

“Abhishek, the way he batted throughout, he usually has his practice over here in Delhi and he said he is very much used to the wickets around. So, we were expecting big scores from him here and also the previous two games he delivered it, so happy for him.”

Attributing the team’s sustained standards to a supportive dressing-room culture, Iyer signed off by saying that energy off the field translates directly into performances on it.

“To be honest, we have decided that we are going to set a standard for ourselves and every game you see, we keep getting better.

“So, that talks highly about the mindset of every individual who have been participating during the match and also the ones who have been sitting outside. Their contribution matters a lot because the energy inside the dressing room is what exactly delivers the performance and the results as well.”