"India Are The Benchmark": Pak Head Coach Mike Hesson Holds Up Mirror Ahead Of Potential IND vs PAK Asian Games Final

New Delhi, Sep 23: Ahead of their Asian Games match, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson has described India as the benchmark in white-ball cricket while insisting his side will look to put their arch-rivals under pressure if the teams meet in the men's competition in Japan.

India and Pakistan are placed in separate groups and can only face each other in the final or the bronze medal match, provided both teams progress that far. The quarterfinal stage follows the group phase.

Pakistan have lost their last six matches against India, including three defeats in the 2025 Asia Cup. Hesson, however, said Pakistan would be ready for another opportunity against the Indian side.

"India are the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment. I think the challenge for Pakistan is to catch up with them in white-ball cricket," Hesson said before Pakistan departs for 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."

Hesson was also cautious about looking too far ahead, pointing out that both teams would have to negotiate several matches before potentially meeting in the medal rounds.

While Pakistan have opted for a relatively inexperienced squad featuring several players with limited international exposure, India have selected a full-strength team as they target another Asian Games gold medal.

Hesson also played down speculation that Sahibzada Farhan's appointment as captain could lead to a longer-term leadership role. He said the Asian Games would provide Farhan with an opportunity to demonstrate his leadership, but any decision on his future as captain would rest with the Pakistan Cricket Board and selection committee.

Addressing concerns over Pakistan's overall performance, Hesson said the team's fortunes should not be judged uniformly across formats. While acknowledging difficulties in Test cricket, he pointed to improvement in T20Is during his 15-month tenure.

Pakistan, he said, has climbed from eighth to fifth in the ICC T20I rankings and gained 30 ranking points during that period, helped by series wins in Pakistan as well as overseas.