Pakistan head coach of men’s cricket team mike hesson challenged the long-held belief that his team’s success should be measured primarily by its performance against India. The former New Zealand coach believes Pakistan’s recent progress deserves recognition beyond high-profile rivalries, arguing that even the world’s strongest teams are finding it difficult to overcome India in the current era.
Mike Hesson calls India’s obsession with testing Pakistan unfair
Speaking to Cricinfo, Hesson acknowledged India’s dominance in international cricket and stressed that Pakistan is not the only team struggling to get the better of the Men in Blue. He pointed out that India’s remarkable consistency has made them the benchmark in all major tournaments, making it unfair to evaluate Pakistan from that perspective alone.
The two neighbors have not played a bilateral series for over a decade due to political tensions, with ICC events and continental tournaments being the only occasions where they meet. Over the years, India has beaten Pakistan several times, including three wins 2025 asia cup And another solid win in 2026 t20 world cup.
Referring to those results, Hesson argued that Pakistan’s overall performance is often overlooked due to India’s excessive focus on the confrontation. He said Pakistan won all the matches except the one against India in the Asia Cup last year and stressed that such achievements deserve equal recognition. According to Hesson, every leading cricket nation has struggled against India recently, making Pakistan’s defeats not as unusual as they are often portrayed.
“For example, in the Asia Cup last year, we won all the matches except India. The reality is that every single team in the world is struggling to beat India at the moment. Every team, not just Pakistan. Right or wrong, Pakistan are judged by how they perform against India. And at the moment, India are not only the best team; they are the best team by a mile. In the T20 World Cup, we are beating England because of Harry Brook’s century in the Super 8. We lost and it was a very tough game. [other] Sports except India. Hesson said.
Coach highlights Pakistan’s positive change
Hesson also reflected on the team’s progress since taking charge of the Pakistan white-ball team in 2025. He explained that rebuilding an international team requires gradual improvement rather than expecting immediate success against the world’s top-ranked team. The coach recalled that Pakistan failed to progress beyond the group stage in ICC tournaments between 2023 and 2025, which shows how difficult that period was for the team. However, he believes the side has made meaningful steps forward since then.
Hesson revealed that Pakistan’s winning percentage has improved dramatically over the past year, going from about one win in every five matches to winning almost three-quarters of the games. He called that jump an important accomplishment and proof that the team is moving in the right direction.
“Till 2023-2025, we couldn’t get out of the pool in ICC competitions. So unless you start winning more regular games of cricket, you can’t suddenly go from eighth in the world to being competitive. And that’s important for us to go from winning about 20 per cent to almost three-quarters of our games in a year.” Hesson added.
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