Krishnamachari Srikkanth lambasted the Pakistan team and its head coach Mike Hesson ahead of the Super 4 clash against India. Srikkanth didn’t hold back and compared Pakistan to a seventh division team in a Chennai league.
They suffered a crushing 7-wicket defeat against Indian in the group stage clash, where Salman Ali Agha’s looked no match for the Men in Blue. They failed to match the intensity with both bat and ball as Suryakumar Yadav and co. stamped complete authority. Pakistan, for perhaps the first time, have stepped into the tournament without being tagged among the favourites – a reflection of their recent decline.
Srikkanth launched a fiery rant at the Pakistan team, saying they should consider themselves fortunate to even feature in the Asia Cup. He also took aim at coach Mike Hesson for his pre-match remarks and anticipated more of the same before Sunday’s Super 4 showdown.
“It’s a big thing for them that they are even allowed to play in such a prestigious tournament. Mike Hesson will be back with his statements tomorrow on how they are a very good team and they were unlucky in the last match against India. You’ll go nowhere with Mike Hesson as your coach,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“India-Pakistan rivalry has become history”
The Pakistan team is going through a transition phase after their group stage exits in the recent ICC events-the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy. The selectors have made bold calls, including omitting Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the T20I calls.
Srikkanth didn’t hold back in his criticism of Pakistan, taking aim at their recent slump and arguing they no longer deserve to be counted among the game’s top teams. He even downplayed the India-Pakistan rivalry and said they don’t give any scare to the Men in Blue anymore.
“Going forward, they shouldn’t be playing with the main teams. Have them among the Associate nations and bring a few of the others there here. Pakistan should be removed from the top seven. From hereon, India-Pakistan matches won’t attract crowds. India-Pakistan rivalry has become history. This Pakistan team will give us no scare. This is a seventh division team in a Chennai league.”‘