The final of the Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled for next Sunday, and Pakistan coach Mike Hesson has issued an open challenge to India.
He has clearly told his team to focus only on cricket and forget everything else. Tensions have been high since the military clash between the two countries in May, and the last two matches have seen controversies such as not shaking hands.
Still, Hesson believes Pakistan is now ready to put India under pressure.
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by 11 runs in the Super Four on Thursday to reach the final. This is their first time facing India in an Asia Cup final.
India defeated Pakistan twice in this tournament by 7 wickets in the group stage and by 6 wickets in the Super Four.
Since 2022, India has won 7 consecutive matches against Pakistan.
But Hesson says that we must forget past defeats and play a new game.
Pakistan Coach Issues Stern Warning to India
He said in the press conference, “Look, my message to the players is just focus on cricket and that we certainly will be doing. In terms of gestures, there has always been passion in terms of high-pressure games.”
Meaning, gestures are bound to happen in high-pressure matches, but keep the focus on cricket.
Pakistan’s Improvement and Strategy to Put Pressure on India
Pakistan has improved its game in the last matches. They were bowled out for just 127 runs in the first match, but scored 172 runs in the second.
Hesson praised this and said, “I think the way we played against India in the last match was a big step up from the first match. The first match was a little passive, we allowed India to take control of the match.”
He further said, “In the last match, we had the game by the scruff of the neck for long periods of it, and it took an exceptional innings from Abhishek Sharma that took the game away from us.”
That is, in the second match, we maintained control for a long time, but Abhishek Sharma’s 74-run innings snatched it away. Now, we should not repeat the same mistake in the final.
Hesson warned that India is the world’s top team, so they will have to be kept under constant pressure.
He said, “We have to be good enough to be able to put India under pressure for long enough.” He added, “We have deserved this opportunity, so it’s now up to us to make the most of it. We have been trying to be in a position to win the trophy.”
Pakistan feels this is a historic opportunity, and they do not want to miss it.
The Dubai ground will witness a fierce clash on Sunday, where Pakistan’s new energy will challenge India’s dominance.
