Pakistan coach Mike Hesson calls India the benchmark in white-ball cricket ahead of the Asian Games 2026, where the two teams could meet in the knockout stage
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Pakistan’s team coach Mike Hesson before the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match between New Zealand and Pakistan in Colombo on Saturday, February 21, 2026(Photo: IANS)
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has admitted that India are currently the benchmark when it comes to white-ball cricket as both teams prepare for the men’s T20 cricket at the on-going Asian Games 2026 at Aichi and Nagoya.
Hesson said Pakistan still have some catching up to do but believes his team can put India under pressure if the two sides meet in the medal stage of the tournament.
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“India are the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment and our challenge is to catch up to that,” Hesson told reporters in Karachi on Wednesday.
India and Pakistan have both qualified directly for the quarter-finals and cannot meet before the knockout stageIndia will face the second-placed team from Group A on September 28, while Pakistan will take on the runners-up from Group B on the same day.
The two teams have never faced each other at the Asian GamesA meeting could come later in the competition if both sides progress through the knockout rounds.
India enter the tournament as the defending champions and have named a full-strength squad for the competitionPakistan, meanwhile, have picked a younger side, with Sahibzada Farhan set to lead the team.
Despite the absence of some of Pakistan’s biggest names, Hesson feels the squad has enough quality to competeBabar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan are not part of the team, but Pakistan still have several players with international experience.
Saim Ayub, Usman Khan and leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed are among the experienced players in the squadHesson described the team as balanced and aggressive and said the Asian Games would give younger players an opportunity to show what they can do.
Pakistan have also had a difficult recent record against India in T20 cricketIndia have won their last six matches against Pakistan in the format, including three meetings during the 2025 Asia CupIndia also beat Pakistan at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
However, Hesson believes his side can make things difficult for India if the teams meet in the medal round.
“We are preparing as best as we can and if we get an opportunity to play (against India), we will certainly put them under pressure as we were able to do in the final of the Asia Cup,” he said.
At the same time, Hesson was careful not to look too far aheadBoth India and Pakistan first need to get through their respective quarter-final matches before thinking about a possible clash.
“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 also made a late change to their squad after Salman Mirza suffered a fractured left thumbFast bowler Mohammad Wasim was brought into the team as his replacement.
