Pakistan National Cricket Team head coach Mike Hesson has made a massive statement on the India National Cricket Team ahead of the blockbuster clash in the Asia Cup 2025.
Mike Hesson said that the Suryakumar Yadav-led side are “hugely confident” team and Pakistan are aware of the kind of challenge they will face against the arch-rivals.
We’re well aware of the challenge and looking forward to it – Mike Hesson
The Salman Agha-led Pakistan will open their campaign in the Asia Cup 2025 against Oman on Friday, September 12. After that, the Men In Green will lock horns with India in the biggest match of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 14.
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Speaking to the media ahead of Pakistan’s opener, Mike Hesson said that they focused on improving as a team and are looking forward to the match against India. He said:
“We know India is hugely confident and rightly so. We’re pretty much focused on improving as a team. We’re well aware of the challenge and looking forward to it.”
Hesson also issued a warning to India, saying that they have got a stacked batting and bowling unit. He elaborated:
“And Salman Ali has hardly bowled, and he’s also the Test spinner for Pakistan. So, we’ve got a lot of spin bowling options, if we think conditions suit that. If we don’t, we’ve got five seamers as well, who allow us to either go for airspeed or change of pace or reverse swing, depending on what the surface provides.”
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Being honest about your assessment of players is important – Mike Hesson
At the press conference, Mike Hesson was questioned about speaking bluntly and publicly about Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan‘s weaknesses in T20s. Replying to this, Hesson said that being brutally honest with the players is quite important. He explained:
“Being honest about your assessment of players is important, and coming from a place with no agenda is also important. I haven’t talked about anyone’s frailties. What I’ve alluded to is the way the modern game is played, and the strike rate required in the powerplay is quite different from the past, especially in good conditions.”
We played Rashid, Noor on a surface that spun – Mike Hesson
Hesson was also asked about the struggle of the Pakistani batters in reading the spin bowling from the hands of spinners. The Pakistan head coach shut down the assessment, saying that the batters played brilliantly against the likes of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad in the recent matches in the UAE, where the pitches were spin-friendly.
“I don’t know where this question comes from or who makes this assessment. We played Rashid, Noor on a surface that spun we managed to score 70 runs more than them.”
Notably, Pakistan won the recent Tri-series final against Afghanistan by a huge margin of 75 runs. They posted 141/8 on the board before bundling Afghanistan out for 66.
