Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has said India is the benchmark in the white-ball cricket scene ahead of the Asian Games and he knows his side is facing a lot of work ahead of the continental tournament. Hesson spoke during Pakistan's pre-departure training camp and the team is heading for its opening game in the men's cricket competition.
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are the four seeded teams in the Asian Games men's cricket tournament. All four teams will start their campaigns directly in the quarter-finals by seeding in the tournament. Pakistan will play the quarter-finals on September 28 against the runners-up from Group B (Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan).
Mike Hesson calls India The Benchmark
Hesson, speaking with reporters at the training camp, openly acknowledged India's current position in white-ball cricket. The Pakistan coach said that when one is facing India in this state of affairs is to close the gap with India but also to keep track of the matches that are ahead.
"India are the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment, and our challenge is to catch up to that," Hesson said.
In the context of a competitive rivalry between the two South Asian cricketing giants, Hesson also mentioned Pakistan's previous encounters with India and said his team would be ready to apply pressure if the two sides meet at the Asian Games.
"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," he said.
But Hesson insists neither team can look too far ahead. India and Pakistan will have to negotiate their respective knockout matches before any possible meeting can take place in the quarter-finals.
PAKISTAN HEAD COACH MIKE HESSON:
— Kashif (@KashifNdmCric) September 24, 2026
"India are the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment & our challenge is to catch up to that". pic.twitter.com/SNVdDyQ0bV
"There is a lot of cricket to be played between now and the final for both sides, so we are not getting too far ahead of ourselves," Hesson added.
Pakistan's Recent Record Against India
Hesson's comments also mirror the recent performance of Pakistan against India. In last year's Asia Cup, Pakistan won against all the other teams but suffered defeats against India on three occasions, including in the final.
That sequence of results has made Hesson's assessment of India even more compelling as a result. The Pakistan coach admitted that repeated defeats against their biggest regional rival have made India a point of reference for Pakistan's white-ball teams.
"We have lost to India on several occasions, and that is the benchmark for all the Pakistani teams, we understand that," Hesson said.
The Asian Games could therefore provide another opportunity for Pakistan to test themselves against India, but any meeting would only take place if both teams go through the knockout stages.
Pakistan enter Asian Games after difficult test tour.
Pakistan's preparations for the Asian Games come after a difficult period in their Test setup. The team lost the Test series whitewash against England in England, and the tour also brought changes in the Pakistan team.
Following the second Test, seven players were dropped, and red-ball head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul also left their posts. The changes have added to the wider scrutiny of Pakistan cricket and the upcoming white-ball assignment is of huge importance for the players.
Hesson will now focus on the limited-overs group selected for the Asian Games. Since the seeded teams will enter directly at the quarter-final stage, Pakistan will have less margin for error once their campaign begins.
Pakistan Asian Games Squad
Pakistan have named a 15-member team for the men's cricket competition. Sahibzada Farhan is to be the captain and Abdul Samad is to be the vice-captain.
The squad includes Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and wicketkeeper Usman Khan.
Pakistan will begin their Asian Games campaign on September 28 in the first quarter-final. Their opponent will be the runners-up in Group B, which comprises Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan.
For Hesson and Pakistan, the immediate task will be to get through the quarter-final before thinking about a potential clash with India. But his comments have underlined the importance of the India-Pakistan rivalry and the level Pakistan believes it needs to reach in white-ball cricket.
With India also entering at the quarter-final stage, the possibility of another high-profile meeting remains open. If both sides progress, their rivalry could once again become one of the major talking points of the Asian Games cricket competition.
