Asia Cup Showdown: Pakistan Coach Hesson Downplays Spin Threat from India's Kuldeep, Chakravarthy

Dubai: In the not-so-merry-goround world of Pakistan cricket, Mike Hesson is the latest to take the ride as head coach. Pakistan enjoyed a fair bit of success under the New Zealander, winning 10 of their 14 T20Is since he took charge in May. However, his first major test comes on Sunday when his men face arch-rivals India in a Group A clash of the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.Hesson is no stranger to the pressures of elite cricket. Apart from guiding New Zealand to the 2015 ODI World Cup final, the 50-year-old coached Punjab Kings in the IPL and served as Director of Cricket Operations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru for four seasons. He was also a regular pundit on Indian television before taking over as Pakistan’s white-ball coach.India hold a commanding 9-3 lead over Pakistan in T20Is, but Hesson appeared unfazed by the challenge ahead. “I’ve certainly watched many games from afar — whether while coaching other teams or commentating — so being on the other side of the fence, right in the middle of such a highly charged event, is going to be exciting,” Hesson told reporters on the eve of Pakistan’s match against Oman. “Just like in any final or major event, it’s about keeping everyone focused on the job at hand. That won’t be any different this weekend. We know India are hugely confident — and rightfully so, given how well they’ve played — but we’re focused on improving as a team day by day and not getting ahead of ourselves.”On Wednesday, Indian wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy ran through the UAE batting order. While Pakistan’s line-up is certainly a step up, doubts remain about their ability to pick quality wrist spin. In the recently concluded tri-series involving Pakistan, Afghanistan, and UAE, only captain Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Nawaz looked assured against Afghanistan’s spinners. The rest of the batting order struggled to read the ball out of the hand — a concern with India’s spin duo looming large.Hesson, however, dismissed those fears. “I really don’t know where that’s come from or who would make that assessment,” he said. “We’ve played against Rashid (Khan), Noor Ahmad — probably the best wrist-spin attack in the world — on a surface in Sharjah that turned square, and we still scored 70 more than the opposition. So, I’m not quite sure where that perception comes from,” Hesson stressed.When asked if spin could dominate Sunday’s contest, given the nature of pitches here and the quality of wrist-spinners on both sides, Hesson was pragmatic. “I don’t think you can expect this pitch to spin like it did in Sharjah. Even on Wednesday, when Kuldeep bowled, it didn’t turn a huge amount. Whenever you’ve got wrist-spinners like that, the surface matters less. The beauty of our side is that we’ve got five spin options,” he assured.Hesson then lined up the spin and seam options that Pakistan possess. “Mohammad Nawaz has been ranked the No. 1 spin bowler in the world over the last six months, Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem have been excellent, and Salman Ali Agha — our Test spinner has hardly bowled yet. If the conditions suit spin, we’re well covered. If they don’t, we’ve got five seamers who give us options whether it’s air speed, change of pace, or reverse swing — depending on what the pitch offers.”