“Not just Afghanistan, no team can be taken lightly at any stage – just look at how tough Japan made it for us the other day,” Iyer said on Sunday. “The pitches here cannot be set to a certain standard, so to adapt is key. It will be challenging for all the teams.
“Whenever you represent India, there are a lot of expectations, that you have to finish at the top. That is always there. That is good pressure. When there are expectations, you want to deliver. But I think we shouldn’t think of the outcome too much. We have set a standard as a team, and we must try to transcend that in every match.”
The weather is also a concern. The T20I between Japan and India was a five-overs-a-side shootout. And of the six first-round matches at the main men’s competition, two had to be called off, one without a ball bowled. Rain and thundershowers are forecast for the match day too.
“There is rain, but we can’t use that as an excuse. As professionals, we will come across hurdles and we have to be prepared,” Iyer said. “We have to be mentally prepared irrespective of whatever the situation is going to be. We did get a decent chance to warm up and knock the ball around today, and now the task is to adapt quickly to the pitch. The weather is an issue, but that is secondary, the primary thing is to come and play the match.
“Today, when we woke up, we thought that we would be getting a little bit of practice. We knew that we would be playing on turf. But as soon as we arrived, the rain started again. And it is not just normal rain, it’s torrential downpour. So I feel we were able to maximise a little bit in terms of our warm-up and just to breathe fresh air around the stadium, get the feel of it. And also on the turf, even though it was pouring a little bit, we tried and got some knocking and the bowlers, they did some strides in the background in the outfield, and they bowled a couple of overs. So we are we are trying to maximise the best we could.”
Iyer: Participating in a multi-sport event ‘a great opportunity’
Cricket has been part of the Asian Games on four occasions now, including 2022 and 2024.
The time at the Asian Games is almost like preparation for teams like India, who are used to taking part in bilateral series or multi-nation tournaments that are cricket-only.
“It’s completely different because over here right now there are teams who are from Asia and at the same time we are staying in different venues and but we are playing at the same venue,” Iyer said. “I personally feel it’s a great opportunity for everyone to come and represent their own countries, and at the same time, the conditions are challenging. The more you embrace it, the more you basically see to it that you are optimising things around you.
“It’s an honour to be representing in India in the Asian Games and captaining it at the same time. I feel there are a talented bunch of athletes who have come representing different sports. My only thought is that as many gold medals we get – that would be great for the country, and also it’s a great motivation for them to step up from here to the Olympics, and we’ve seen some amazing records made this season.
“So, looking forward to see some more amazing events happening around, and if we get an opportunity to go and see one of them, would love to.”
