India and Pakistan last faced off in Asia Cup 2025.
Mike Hesson, head coach of the Pakistan men’s team, has lavished rich praise on the Indian team and called them ‘the benchmark’ for the team in white-ball cricket. The two rival teams will feature in the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in the cricket event.
He said that his side would be trying to prepare as much as possible to take on India in the 2026 Asian Games, provided both teams meet each other.
These comments came before the departure of Hesson for the Asian Games in Japan. India and Pakistan will only face each other if both sides reach the finals. Interestingly, India has won all six of the matches against Pakistan in the past six T20Is.
“India is the benchmark in terms of white-ball cricket at the moment, and our challenge is to catch up to them. We are certainly preparing the best we can so that, if we get an opportunity to play [India], you know, we certainly put them under pressure, like we were able to in the final of the Asia Cup. So, look, there’s a lot of cricket to be played between now and being able to play in the final for both sides. So, we are not getting too far ahead of ourselves," Hesson was quoted as saying by News18.
While India has fielded a full-strength squad in the Asian Games 2026, Pakistan has sent a second-string squad under the captaincy of Sahibzada Farhan.
“This is still a balanced and aggressive team. The Asian Games provide an excellent platform for new and talented players to showcase their abilities. For Sahibzada Farhan, the Asian Games are an excellent opportunity to gain captaincy experience,” he said.
Hesson said that although expectations from Pakistan should be high, it was unrealistic to want them to start winning trophies from that starting point.