India To Play Historic Japan T20I In BCCI Colours; Asian Games Kit Problem Resolved

The India men's cricket team will wear the BCCI jersey for its historic one-off T20I match against Japan, while the team has received its official Asian Games kit for the remainder of the tournament, a Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) source told ANI on Saturday. "Team India will wear the BCCI jersey for the match against Japan. The team has received its Asian Games kit for the rest of the tournament, and the issue has been resolved," the MYAS source said.

The 20th Asian Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, with India participating across 36 sports. India, who clinched the gold medal in the previous edition of the Asian Games, will play their first match of the 2026 edition on September 28 in the quarterfinal stage.

The MYAS source further clarified that the match against Japan is a friendly fixture and is not part of the Asian Games competition, which is why the team will play in its regular kit.

"The team will play the match against Japan in their normal kit as the match doesn't belong to the Asian Games; it's a friendly match. But for the rest of the tournament, the size issue has been resolved and they have received their kit for the tournament," the MYAS source added.

The clarification comes after concerns over the availability and sizing of the official kit for the Indian team ahead of its campaign at the continental multi-sport event.

The Men in Blue will play a T20 International to launch the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of India-Japan diplomatic relations, according to a BCCI media release.

The Suzuki Cup will take place at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture on September 22.

According to a BCCI press release, the India-Japan T20I will be the first step of "Sport 75", an initiative that stems from an agreement reached during a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It aims to promote human exchanges and cooperation between India and Japan in the field of sports, while taking note of India's ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036.

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said the board is delighted to be part of the historic T20I in Japan, calling it an important step in taking Indian cricket to new territories and expanding the sport's reach in Japan and East Asia.

"The BCCI is delighted to be part of this historic occasion as the Indian and Japanese men's teams come together for a special T20 International in Japan. This is a significant moment for cricket, as it takes the Indian team to new territory and provides an opportunity to introduce the sport to a wider audience in Japan and East Asia," Saikia said.

India's squad for the Japan T20I and the Asian Games: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (VC), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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