Pakistan Must Close Gap with India in T20 Cricket, Says Coach Hesson

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has conceded that his side faces a significant challenge to match the standard set by archrivals India at the upcoming Asian Games. India’s men’s team currently holds back-to-back Twenty20 World Cup titles and are the defending champions of the Asian Games tournament.

Since Hesson assumed leadership in May of last year, Pakistan has suffered three defeats to India in the 2025 Asia Cup and one loss in this year’s T20 World Cup. Speaking in Karachi before the team’s departure for Japan, Hesson identified India as the current benchmark in white-ball cricket.

“India are the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment, and our challenge is to catch up to that,” Hesson stated. “We are certainly preparing as best we can, and if we get an opportunity to play [India], we will certainly put them under pressure like we did in the final of the Asia Cup,” he added, referencing Pakistan’s strong performance in last year’s Dubai final.

Men’s cricket at the Asian Games begins on Thursday. Although Pakistan and India have never faced each other at the tournament, scheduling suggests a potential semifinal clash on October 1 in Nagoya. Prior to that potential matchup, Pakistan is scheduled to play the winner of Pool B—which includes Hong Kong, Oman, and Malaysia—in a quarterfinal on September 28.

Hesson emphasized the need for a measured approach, noting that there is substantial cricket remaining before either side could reach the semifinals. “There is a lot of cricket to be played between now and being able to play in the semifinal for both sides, so we are not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” he said.

Historically, Pakistan has struggled at the Asian Games, having never won a medal in the cricket event. The team lost in the bronze medal match in both 2010 and 2023, and did not compete in the 2014 edition.