Pakistan must ‘catch up’ with India in T20 cricket, says coach Hesson

Head coach Mike Hesson has admitted that Pakistan will have some catching up to do if they are to challenge archrivals India at the Asian Games. India’s men have won back-to-back Twenty20 World Cups and are also defending champions at the Asian Games. Since Hesson took over in May last year, Pakistan have lost to India three times in the Asia Cup 2025 and once in this year’s T20 World Cup. “India are the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment, and our challenge is to catch up to that,” said Hesson in Karachi before the team’s departure for Japan. The men’s cricket at the Asian Games in Japan starts on Thursday. Pakistan and India have never met at the games but are likely to face-off in the semifinals on October 1 in Nagoya.