India, Sept. 22 -- India playing a bilateral T20 in Japan shows cricket has been successful in expanding into unchartered territories, said their skipper Shreyas Iyer on Monday ahead of the historic game against the host nation. India will play Japan in Sano for the first international fixture between the two nations, launching the celebration for 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two Asian countries.

India arrived here on Sunday ahead of Tuesday's game before heading to Nagoya for the Asia Games. It is unusual for Indian cricketers to visit a country like Japan where cricket remains on margins.

"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 ...