'Pakistan can rank players as they wish' - India coach takes a dig at Mike Hesson's 'Nawaz best spinner in the world' comment | IND vs PAK

Devansh Poddar

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'Pakistan can rank players as they wish' - India coach takes a dig at Mike Hesson's 'Nawaz best spinner in the world' comment | IND vs PAK image

As India prepares to take on arch-rival Pakistan in an all-important high-voltage Asia Cup clash, verbal battles have already begun from both camps. 

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India and Pakistan will lock horns on Sunday, September 14th, at the iconic Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.  The clash is expected to produce a thriller as the fans wait eagerly for the match to start. 

India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate has now taken a slight dig at Pakistan's head coach Mike Hesson. 

Nawaz is the best spinner in the world, says Hesson ahead of the Ind-Pak clash

Ahead of the marquee clash, Pakistan's head coach Hesson caught people's attention when he called the Pakistani spinner Mohammad Nawaz the best spinner in the world. Hesson hailed Nawaz as he ranked him right at the top. 

"I guess the beauty of our side is we've got five spinners. We've got Mohammad Nawaz, who's the best spin bowler in the world at the moment, and he's been ranked that way over the last six months since he's come back on the side," he said.

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Hesson's claim came as a shock to many, including fans and the cricketing pundits. While Nawaz provides great control with the ball, the claim of him being the best spinner in the world is highly debatable. 

Doeschate responds to Hesson's claim, 'they can rank their players wherever they wish'

Ryan Ten Doeschate has come up with a strong response to Hesson's claim ahead of the game on Sunday. The Dutchman responded by saying that everyone is entitled to their opinions. 

"I think spinners are going to be very important in this competition. If anything, I don't think it has gripped as much as we anticipated, and certainly not like it did earlier in the year when we were here," he said during a pre-match press conference.

"But spin in general has become a very important part of T20 cricket, and both teams have a lot of spin on offer. And certainly we know how we feel about Varun, Axar and Kuldeep, so everyone's entitled to their opinion, and they can rank their players wherever they wish," Ten Doeschate added.

Spinners often play a crucial role in the shortest format and especially under the conditions in the UAE. While the wickets until now have not spun as much, the slowness of the surface and its two-paced nature have certainly helped the spinners. 

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Kuldeep Yadav scalped 4 wickets in India's opening encounter and was the Player of the Match, while Pakistan's Ayub, Muqeem, and Nawaz also bowled well in their game.

Both sides are coming off dominating victories in the first game at the continental event. As the sides face each other now, India will definitely start as the favorites; however, the shortest format of the game is highly unpredictable. 

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Devansh Poddar

Devansh Poddar is a content producer for The Sporting News' India edition.