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

Pakistan could face India in the knockouts of the Asian Games, where the world champions won gold in 2023.Published On 23 Sep 202623 Sep 2026Head 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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Eala and Pathirage headline top athletes to watch at the 2026 Asian Gameslist 2 of 3‘Disgraceful’: Did India bully umpires to win Japan T20 cricket match?list 3 of 3Asian Games: Opening ceremony offers respite amid mounting complaintsend of listSince 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.“We are certainly prepa...