India’s Asia Cup performance: A chronicle from 1984 to 2022

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Let’s have a look at India’s performance in each edition of the Asia Cup

The Asia Cup, a cricket tournament played between the countries at Asian continent, is one of the most prestigious cricket tournaments held by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The exciting tournament was first held in 1984 in Sharjah as a One Day International (ODI) event. Since then, it has been held at irregular intervals, generally ranging from every two to four years. The format of the tournament has also evolved over the years.

Initially, the Asia Cup featured only the four Test-playing Asian nations: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. However, in recent editions, other Asian teams such as Afghanistan, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also participated.

The 2023 season of Asia Cup will kick off on August 30. This edition will be played in the 50-over format and will come handy for the teams preparing for the ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in India later this year.

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Like every edition, the Men in Blue will be favourites to clinch the prestigious title. This is primarily due to India’s incredible record at the Asia Cup. Since 1984, as many as 15 seasons of the eye-catching competition has taken place and India have won the maximum seven Asia Cups.

Let’s have a look at India’s performance in each edition of the Asia Cup:

1984 (United Arab Emirates): Champions – India won the inaugural Asia Cup held in Sharjah. A total of 3 games were played between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India won two games and were handed the trophy while the Lankans finished as runners up with one win. Pakistan didn’t win a single game.

1986 (Sri Lanka): Did Not Participate – India did not participate in the second edition of the Asia Cup due to soured cricketing relations with hosts Sri Lanka.

1988 (Bangladesh): Champions – India won their second Asia Cup title after defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final.

1990-91 (India): Champions – India hosted the tournament for the first time and emerged victorious by defeating Sri Lanka in the summit clash.

1995 (United Arab Emirates): Champions – India and Sri Lanka made it to the final by virtue of better run rate than Pakistan as all three teams had equal points. India yet again defeated Sri Lanka and clinched their fourth Asia Cup title.

1997 (Sri Lanka): Runners-up – India finished as the runners-up, losing to Sri Lanka in the final.

2000 (Bangladesh): Group Stage – India could only reach the group stage of this edition and were eliminated by Pakistan, who went on to win their first Asia Cup title.

2004 (Sri Lanka): Runners-up – India reached the final in the 2004 edition but faced a defeat against Sri Lanka.

2008 (Pakistan): Runners-up – India again booked a place in the final but Sri Lanka played better and won the game to lift the prestigious title.

2010 (Sri Lanka): Champions – India won their fifth Asia Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.

2012 (Bangladesh): Group Stage – India’s journey in 2012 Asia Cup finished after Pakistan defeated them at Group Stage. Pakistan later met Bangladesh in the final and won a thriller.

2014 (Bangladesh): Group Stage – India couldn’t qualify for the final in this edition. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final to become champions for the fifth time.

2016 (Bangladesh): Champions – The 2016 event was the first tournament held in a T20 format. India won the event by defeating Bangladesh in the final.