Pakistan coach fires stern warning to India before Asia Cup final clash in Dubai

Pakistan's coach, Mike Hesson, has urged his team to concentrate on cricket ahead of their historic Asia Cup final against India, despite recent controversies and heightened tensions. India has dominated recent encounters, winning both matches in the tournament and holding a seven-match winning streak against Pakistan.

Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrates with teammates (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson urged his players to concentrate on cricket ahead of their historic first-ever Asia Cup final against India on Sunday in Dubai, following heightened tensions during their previous two encounters since the May military conflict between the nations.Pakistan secured their place in the final by defeating Bangladesh by 11 runs in Thursday's Super Four match in Dubai. The previous two India-Pakistan matches in this Asia Cup were marked by controversy, with both teams refusing to shake hands after both games. The matches saw various controversial gestures, with Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav accused of making a political statement after the first match, while Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan and Haris Rauf made aggressive gestures in the second. "Look, my message to the players is just focus on cricket and that certainly we will be doing. In terms of gestures there has always been passion in terms of high-pressure games," said Hesson. India has dominated the recent encounters, winning both matches in this tournament - by seven wickets in the Group A match and by six wickets in the Super Four stage. India's supremacy extends to a seven-match winning streak against Pakistan across formats since 2022, including three ODIs and four T20Is. "We have to be good enough to put India under pressure for longer because there is a reason why they are ranked the top side in the world," Hesson said. "We have to put them under pressure and that will be our challenge." Pakistan's performance has shown improvement between the two matches. They scored only 127-9 in the first game, which India easily chased down. "I think the way we played against India in the last match was a huge step up from the first game," said Hesson. "The first game was a bit passive, we allowed India to control the game." "The last match we had that game by the scruff of the neck for long periods and it took an exceptional innings from Abhishek Sharma that took the game away from us." In the second match, Pakistan posted a more competitive total, but Abhishek Sharma's impressive 74 runs off 39 balls helped India successfully chase down the 172-run target. "We have deserved this opportunity so it's now up to us to make the most of it," said Hesson. "We have been trying to be in a position to win the trophy." The former New Zealand coach believes his team must maintain pressure throughout the final to have a chance at victory against the world champions.

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