India are the benchmark, but Pakistan can put them under pressure: Mike Hesson
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has acknowledged that India remain the benchmark in white-ball cricket but believes his side can put their arch-rivals under pressure if the two teams meet at the Asian Games in Japan.
The two sides cannot face each other before the medal stage, with both entering the men's T20 competition directly in the quarter-finals. Pakistan will face the runners-up from Group B on September 28, while India will take on the second-placed team from Group A on the same day. The rivals can meet only in the gold-medal match or the bronze-medal play-off.
"India are the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment and our challenge is to catch up to that,” Hesson said on the sidelines of Pakistan's pre-departure camp in Karachi.
"We are preparing as best as we can and if we get an opportunity to play [India], we will certainly put them under pressure as we were able to do in the final of the Asia Cup. There is a lot of cricket to be played between now and before being able to play the final for both sides, so we are not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” he added.
Pakistan will head into any potential clash with India knowing that the recent T20I record has heavily favoured their neighbours. India have won the last six T20Is between the teams, including three meetings in the 2025 Asia Cup.Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson responded to the defeats against India.VC: PCB#Cricket | #Pakistan | #MikeHesson | #AsiaGames2026 | #India pic.twitter.com/EOXS2gmQnP— Khel Shel (@khelshel) September 23, 2026‘PAKISTAN T20I TEAM AT A LOW IS INCORRECT’Hesson, however, rejected the suggestion that Pakistan's T20I side has struggled to find its feet. He acknowledged that the Test team has struggled after being swept 3-0 by England in their three-Test series, but said there was no reason to suggest that the T20I team was going through a similar phase.
"The Test team is struggling and we are all well aware of it. But the win percentage of the T20I team in the last 15 months has been third or the fourth best. We have lost to India on multiple occasions and that is the benchmark of all the Pakistani teams, we understand that. But to suggest that the T20 side is at a low [is not correct],” Hesson said.
Pakistan will be led by Sahibzada Farhan in the Asian Games. The 15-member squad includes four players yet to make their T20I debuts — Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat and Saad Masood. Farhan, who scored 383 runs at the 2026 T20 World Cup, is the most experienced batter in the squad and will captain a side that features a significant number of younger players.
The men's competition begins on September 24, with the medal matches scheduled for October 3. India are the defending champions, having won gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.- EndsPublished By: sabyasachi chowdhuryPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 20:50 IST
