Pakistan coach admits dression room ‘hurting’ after loss to India in T20 World Cup 2026
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson conceded that the dressing room was left deeply disappointed following their crushing 61-run loss to arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup 2026 Group A clash in Colombo on Sunday.
Hesson: ‘Pretty disappointed dressing room’
“There’s a pretty disappointed dressing room in there at the moment, because they know how much it means to Pakistan,” Hesson said after the match.
“We know that it’s a huge event, Pakistan against India. We obviously won five games on the bounce before today so we were confident, but today we got outplayed.“
India, the defending champions, posted 175/7 after being sent in to bat on a tacky R. Premadasa pitch before routing Pakistan for 114 – their third-lowest total against India in all T20s.
Hesson reflects on Pakistan’s poor show
Hesson admitted Pakistan were completely outplayed. “I think the ball was spinning quite a lot initially and we started off well but I think the way Kishan played, he took the game away from us,” he said, referring to Ishan Kishan’s brilliant 77 that helped India recover from an early setback.
Pakistan slumped to 13/3 in the powerplay, with Jasprit Bumrah removing Saim Ayub (6) and skipper Salman Agha (4) in the second over. Usman Khan top-scored with 44, but the rest of the batting collapsed against India’s disciplined attack.
Decision to bowl first defended
Hesson stood by the choice to field first at a venue where the previous three matches had been won by the team batting first.
“I think the ball was spinning quite a lot initially and we started off well,” he explained, but acknowledged Kishan’s counter-attack changed the game.
Focus on recovery ahead of Namibia clash
With the defeat, Pakistan’s win-loss record against India in T20 World Cups worsened to 1-8. Hesson urged the team to bounce back quickly.
“We have to pick ourselves up and make sure that we’re very good in two or three days,” he said.
“We have played some good cricket in the lead-up to this World Cup so we’re confident to do well in the tournament.“
India’s third straight win secured their place in the Super Eights, while Pakistan must win their final group match against Namibia on Wednesday to keep their campaign alive.
The post Pakistan coach admits dression room ‘hurting’ after loss to India in T20 World Cup 2026 appeared first on Cricket Country.