Asia Cup is also a part of the Asian history of cricket, as it was first held in 1984. The tournament has given fans thrilling endings, legendary performances and record achievements throughout the decades. It is one of the most attended events in the sport and is usually held once every two years.
Asia Cup 2025: A historic step forward
Starting on September 9 in the United Arab Emirates, the Asia Cup 2025 is something new. It will be the first time in the history of the tournament that the tournament will consist of eight teams and will be conducted in the T20 format only.
This historic version covers India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Oman and hosts UAE. More to the point, it is an ideal lead-up to the 2026 T20 world cup.
In retrospect, five of the most memorable Asia Cup tournaments that made a mark in the history of cricketing are listed here.
Asia Cup 2010: Harbhajan Singh’s iconic finish
It was a show of power by India and a milestone in the history of Dhoni as a captain.
The 2010 version in Sri Lanka was marked by India ending a 15 year drought to win the Asia Cup. The team started off well with a six wicket victory over Bangladesh under the leadership of MS Dhoni.
The actual tragedy played out in the confrontation with Pakistan. A last-over six was smashed off Mohammad Amir in Dambulla, India, in pursuit of 267, with a tense finish, by Hamhar Bhajan Singh. It was further dramatized by his animated conversation with Shoaib Akhtar.
India also lost to Sri Lanka in the group stage but they fought back. At last Dinesh Karthik arrived with a cool rap that took India to 268. The bowlers then went on to reduce Sri Lanka to 51/5 before wrapping up an 81 run victory.
This has not only seen them win over Bangladesh, but also drawing a nail biter with Afghanistan in the Super Four round, that is an evidence of their strength and power.
Asia Cup 2012: Kohli’s 183 and Pakistan’s close win
The Asia Cup 2012 in Bangladesh two years later gave birth to one of the most tense tournaments. Misbah-ul-Haq led Pakistan to the trophy and the road to the trophy was not smooth.
They started off with a 21-run victory over Bangladesh and a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka. But India gave them a severe blow in the following encounter as Virat Kohli delivered the performance of his life. His 183 is his best score in an ODI, and India had to pursue 330 in spectacular style.
Pakistan managed to maintain their composure and make it to the final despite the setback against the hosts. They batted first, and scored 236/9, with Sarfaraz Ahmed leading on 46*. Following the footsteps of Tamim Iqbal (60) and Shakib Al Hasan (68), Bangladesh was very close but it lost by two runs.
The second Asian Cup was won by Pakistan with a composed final by Aizaz Cheema. To India, this issue was historic because Sachin Tendulkar had finally scored his 100th international century against Bangladesh.
Asia Cup 2014: Sri Lanka’s flawless campaign
Sri Lanka was steady and peaceful in 2014 edition that was also being hosted in Bangladesh. They began with a 12 run victory over Pakistan, and went on to have a nail-biting two wicket victory over India.
Their winning streak was followed by a huge 129 run victory over Afghanistan and a three wicket win over Bangladesh. Batters and bowlers were equally matched in their performance which kept them ahead all along.
The version also proved to be memorable. Bangladesh almost snatched a legendary victory over Pakistan after scoring 326 but Shahid Afridi gave Pakistan a 360-degree swing with his 59 off 25 balls. Another close win was by Afridi in the India-Pakistan confrontation.
The last in Dhaka was again Sri Lanka vs Pakistan. On this occasion the men of Angelo Mathews pursued 261 with five wickets left. That victory meant Sri Lanka finished an undefeated campaign and earned their fifth Asia Cup.
Asia Cup 2016: India masters T20 cricket
The 2016 edition has become the first Asia Cup to be hosted in the T20 format. The tournament was held in Bangladesh and was considered the perfect preparation to the T20 World Cup later that year.
Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, India left a mark on its authority immediately. They beat Bangladesh by 45 runs in the first match, beat Pakistan in a low-scoring pursuit of 84 and beat Sri Lanka and UAE comfortably to emerge unbeaten in the group stage.
The last, cut to 15 overs each side by the rain, had Bangladesh putting on a target of 121. Shikhar Dhawan (60) and Virat Kohli (41) were the first to chase, but Dhoni would finish with a pair of sixes to secure an eight wicket victory.
Kohli ended up scoring 153 runs during the tournament, Rohit Sharma scored 138 runs, and Hardik Pandya was the most successful bowler in India with seven wickets. India stressed their ability to be as small as possible.
Asia Cup 2018: Rohit Sharma’s first trophy as captain
Another milestone was the 2018 Asia Cup in the UAE when Rohit Sharma managed to make India a winner without Virat Kohli. India began with a victory against Hong Kong, followed by two eight and nine wicket defeats of Pakistan.
The last activity with Bangladesh was a ride.
The last game was a ride with Bangladesh. The genius Lititton Das of Bangladesh had taken the team to 222, but the Indian bowlers led by Kuldeep Yadav (3/45) revived.
India had its nervous moments in pursuit of 223. Rohit anchored with 48 and MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik maintained the rate. In a theatrical twist, Kedar Jadhav who had been dealing with hamstring injury came back to complete the match with Kuldeep. India was the winner by three wickets on the final ball.
This was a special tournament because it earned Rohit Sharma his first title as the Indian skipper and this added more weight to his qualifications as a leader.
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