Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson urged his players to concentrate on cricket when facing India in the Asia Cup final on Sunday, following previous encounters that heightened tensions.
Pakistan secured their first-ever Asia Cup final against India with a hard-fought 11-run victory over Bangladesh in a Super Four match in Dubai on Thursday.
Hesson downplayed the bitterness that overshadowed the past two India-Pakistan matches in this edition of the Asia Cup – their first since May’s military conflict between the two nations.
“Look, my message to the players is just focus on cricket and that’s what we will be doing. In high-pressure games, there has always been passion,” said New Zealander Hesson.
India refused to shake hands with Pakistan after the first game, and neither side shook hands after the second.
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was accused of making a political statement after the first match, while Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan and pacer Haris Rauf made aggressive gestures in the second.
India comfortably had the upper hand against Pakistan in the previous matches, defeating them by seven wickets in their Group A match and by six wickets at the Super Four stage.
This extended India’s unbeaten streak against Pakistan to seven international matches dating back to 2022: three one-day internationals and four T20Is.
Hesson stated that his team needs to be relentless against world champions India if they wish to taste victory in the final.
“We have to be good enough to put India under pressure for longer because there’s a reason why they are ranked as the top side in the world,” he said.
“We have to put them under pressure, and that will be our challenge.”
Pakistan managed a modest 127-9 in the first match, which India chased down with the loss of just three wickets.
Pakistan performed much better in the second encounter but still lost by six wickets.
“I think the way we played against India in the last match was a significant improvement from the first game,” said Hesson, a former New Zealand coach.
“The first game was a bit passive; we allowed India to control the game.
“In the last match, we had control for long periods, and it took an exceptional innings from Abhishek Sharma to take the game away from us.”
Sharma hit a match-winning 39-ball 74 to help India chase down a 172-run target.
“We have earned this opportunity, so it’s now up to us to make the most of it,” added Hesson.
“We have been striving to be in a position to win the trophy.”
