This day, that year: 26 years ago, Mohammad Azharuddin led India to fourth Asia Cup title

India have won the Asia Cup title 7 times in their history but it was on April 14, 1995 – 26 years back – that they managed to win the crown for the fourth time. Skipper Mohammad Azharuddin led India to the crown, defeating Sri Lanka in the final by eight wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates.

Azhar called correctly and chose to field first. Karnataka duo of Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble bowled excellently to pick up 2/32 and 2/50 in their 10 overs respectively. Lanka No. 3 batsman Asanka Gurusinha scored a sedate 85 off 122 balls to guide Arjuna Ranatunga’s SL team to 230/7.

Chasing 231 to win, India were off to a flyer with Sachin Tendulkar blazing 41 off 41 balls with five boundaries. Once Tendulkar was dismissed at 58/2, Navjot Sidhu and skipper Azharuddin put on 175 unbeaten runs for the third wicket to guide India to a comprehensive eight-wicket win with more than eight overs to spare.

Azharuddin was declared man-of-the-match for scoring 90 off 89 balls with two sixes and five fours. While Sidhu, was declared the player-of-the-series remained unbeaten on 84 off 106 balls with five boundaries.

The 1995 Asia Cup was played in a round-robin tournament where each team played the other once, and the top two teams qualified for the finals. In the tournament, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh participated. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka all had four points at the end of the round-robin stage, but India and Sri Lanka qualified for the final on the basis of better run-rates.

So far, 14 editions of Asia Cup have been played and India has managed to win the tournament seven times. In the latest edition in 2018, India went on to win the tournament after defeating Bangladesh in the finals. Sri Lanka has won the Asia Cup five times while Pakistan has managed to achieve the feat two times.

Asia Cup was scheduled to be played later this year as well, but right now, the fate of the competition hangs in the balance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

(with ANI inputs)