Pakistan must ‘focus on cricket’ not India in Asia Cup final

After the sides’ previous two meetings heightened tensions, Pakistan’s head coach Mike Hesson instructed his players to concentrate on cricket when they face India in the Asia Cup final on Sunday.

Following a close-fought 11-run victory over Bangladesh in a Super Four match on Thursday in Dubai, Pakistan and India will meet in the Asia Cup final.

In this edition of the Asia Cup, Headsson downplayed the bitterness that had previously weighed on the two previous meetings between India and Pakistan, which were held in their first meetings since the two nations’ military conflict in May.

Look, I tell the players to “focus on cricket,” which we will definitely be doing. There has always been passion for high-pressure games in terms of gestures, according to New Zealander Hesson.

After the first game, India and Pakistan did not shake hands, and neither did the other.

Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian captain, was accused of making a political statement following the first match, while Sahibzada Farhan, the opener for Pakistan, and Haris Rauf, the second, both made obscene gestures.

In their previous matches, India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in Group A and by six wickets in Super Four, respectively.

That resulted in three one-day international matches and four T20Is, extending India’s unbeaten run against Pakistan to seven international matches that date back to 2022.

Hesson argued that if his team wants to reach the final, they must be relentless against world champion India.

There is a reason why India is ranked as the best side in the world, he said, so we must be good enough to put them under pressure for longer.

We must put pressure on them, and that will be challenging. ”

India chased down a paltry 127-9 in the opening match, which Pakistan managed with just three wickets.

Pakistan lost by six wickets in the second match, but they did much better in the third one.

Former New Zealand coach Hesson praised the way the team played against India in the final game as a significant improvement over the first one.

The first game was a little passive, I must say. We gave India complete control over the game.

The last time we faced that game was the scruff of the neck for a long period of time, and Abhishek Sharma’s exceptional innings gave us the win. ”

India fought back from a 172-run target with a match-winning 39-ball 74.

Hesson continued, “We have deserved this opportunity, so it’s up to us now to make the most of it.”