India’s Asia Cup Dominance: The Asia Cup was the brainchild of the Asian Cricket Council in 1983. It remains the only continental trophy in world cricket. The first edition was played back in 1984 and it will be the 16th edition of the tournament this year. A total of 6 teams will contest for the trophy.
The tournament will be a good dress rehearsal for World Cup-qualified teams. This will give them an opportunity to test themselves in a multination tournament just before the World Cup. India didn’t have a great Asia Cup last year but they have historically been the most dominant side in the tournament.
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India’s Asia Cup Dominance – India’s Asia Cup supremacy through the records prism:
#4 Most number of T20 wins:
India missed out on a final berth losing both the close games against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the last year’s T20 Asia Cup edition. They won against Hong Kong and Pakistan in the first round. India could only manage to defeat Afghanistan in the Super 4 stage. This was in stark contrast to their 2016 campaign where India won the tournament unbeaten. The side won all their 5 games. India’s 8 T20 wins in the Asia Cup are the highest for any team in the tournament.
#3 Most number of centuries:
India’s batting might appear iffy currently but their batters have bossed the tournament right throughout. The flat true wickets of the subcontinent help batters to bat and score big. India holds the top spot for the most number of individual hundreds (16) scored in the competition. Virat Kohli unsurprisingly leads the charts with 3 tons. Sachin Tendulkar, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suresh Raina are next in line with two centuries apiece. Rohit Sharma, the current Indian captain has one century in Asia Cup. There are 5 other Indian batsmen along with Sharma who has scored a century in the tournament.
#2 Highest successful run-chase:
It was a must-win game for India after their shock defeat to Bangladesh in the perilous game. Pakistan opted to bat first and posted a huge score of 329. Both the openers got to hundreds and Younis Khan’s 52 from 34 balls provided the finishing touch. India in reply lost Gautam Gambhir to the second ball of the innings for a duck.
But Virat Kohli then put on a batting masterclass to outplay Pakistan. He smashed a 148-ball 183 scoring 22 fours and a six. Kohli’s innings earned him praise from across the world. India coasted to victory in just 47.5 overs. It remains an Asia Cup record for the highest successful run-chase.
#1 Most number of championships:
India won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1984. They went on to win 4 out of the first 5 editions of the tournament. India then faced a lull as Sri Lanka and Pakistan started catching up with them. India returned to winning ways in 2010 after a gap of 15 years. They were the first-time winners of the T20 edition of the tournament too in 2016. India won their seventh title in 2018 when Rohit Sharma led the Indian side to glory. They lead the championship count with 7 titles. Sri Lanka with 6 wins is a close second.
