India, Sept. 21 -- India skipper Shreyas Iyer never imagined he would play cricket in Japan, but the country's growing presence on the international cricket map is a sign that the sport is expanding into new territories, he said on Monday ahead of the historic T20 against the hosts.

India will face Japan in Sano on Tuesday in the first international cricket fixture between the two countries, marking the launch of celebrations for 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.

India arrived in Japan on Sunday before travelling to Nagoya for the Asian Games.

For Iyer and his teammates, the trip is an unusual one given that cricket remains a relatively niche sport in Japan.

"No, I never thought about it, but yes, I mean, crick...