From Sharjah 1984 to Colombo 2023, India's reign in the Asia Cup tells its own story
As the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE nears, a familiar question arises in cricket circles: who is the greatest team in Asia Cup history? The answer is clear from both statistics and stories. With eight titles in 16 editions, India stands unmatched in the tournament, demonstrating consistency, resilience, and remarkable firepower across generations.
The inaugural chapter of the Asia Cup was written in Sharjah in 1984, fittingly under desert skies where cricket in the Gulf would later thrive. India, captained by Sunil Gavaskar, easily defeated Sri Lanka and PAK in a straightforward round-robin format.
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Surinder Khanna's consistent runs and Ravi Shastri's wickets contributed to a comfortable victory. That win was more than a trophy; it laid the foundation for India's dominance in the region.
India defended their crown in 1988 in Bangladesh, defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final. Four years later, amid political tensions that saw PAK withdraw, India retained the trophy in 1990-91, once again prevailing over Sri Lanka in the final at Eden Gardens.
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By the time the 1995 edition arrived in Sharjah, India had become accustomed to lifting the Cup. Beating Sri Lanka once more in the final, they secured a fourth title in just six tournaments. With Mohammad Azharuddin’s men dominating the 90s, India had quietly established itself as the benchmark of Asian cricket.
After a short spell of drought, the next wave of success arrived in 2010 when India defeated Sri Lanka by 81 runs in Dambulla. MS Dhoni’s captaincy, Gautam Gambhir’s runs, and Ashish Nehra’s wickets embodied the balance of that side.
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The tournament then entered a new phase: alternating between ODIs and T20Is. India proved their adaptability by conquering both formats. In 2016, they won the inaugural T20 Asia Cup in Dhaka, winning all their matches, with Shikhar Dhawan’s 60 in the final helping them beat Bangladesh by eight wickets.
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Two years later, in 2018, India returned to the UAE and achieved victory once more, remaining unbeaten and edging Bangladesh by three wickets in a tense final. Dhawan was the tournament’s standout with 342 runs, the highest tally of that edition.
If proof was ever needed of India’s supremacy, it was demonstrated in Colombo, 2023. In the final, India crushed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets, bowling them out for just 50 runs, the lowest total ever in an Asia Cup final.
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Mohammed Siraj’s extraordinary spell of 6 for 21 left the hosts stunned, before India chased down the target in just 6.1 overs. Kuldeep Yadav, with his guile and consistency throughout the tournament, was named Player of the Series. It marked India’s eighth Asia Cup title — and arguably their most emphatic.
Across 10 finals, India has won eight, achieving an impressive win rate of 80% in summit clashes. Their trophy tally far exceeds Sri Lanka’s six and PAK’s two. India has succeeded in both formats, demonstrating resilience as the Asia Cup has evolved.
From Surinder Khanna’s runs in 1984 to Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in 2018 and Siraj’s spell in 2023, India’s dominance spans different eras and styles.
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Now, under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, India begins their campaign on 10 September against the UAE, with a blockbuster match against PAK to follow four days later. The mission is clear: to secure a record-extending ninth Asia Cup title.
