The 17th edition of the Asia Cup will start on 9 September in the UAE. India is the most successful team in this tournament. India has won 8 of the last 16 titles. Sri Lanka has won 6 times, and Pakistan has won 2 times. Five captains have led India to these 8 titles. India won the first Asia Cup in 1984 and also the last one in 2023. Let us look at the captains under whom India won the Asia Cup. Virat Kohli’s name is not in this list.
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar was the first India captain to win the Asia Cup. He won it in 1984. India beat Pakistan in the final and took the trophy. Only three teams played that time – India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Dilip Vengsarkar
In 1986 India played badly, but in 1988 Dilip Vengsarkar made India win the Asia Cup again. Four teams played that year. Bangladesh was the new team. India beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final. Navjot Singh Sidhu was the star with 76 runs.
Mohammad Azharuddin
From 1988 to 1995 India ruled the Asia Cup. In 1991, Mohammad Azharuddin was the captain and India won again. In 1995, under him, India again lifted the trophy. Azharuddin became the first India captain to win the Asia Cup two times.
MS Dhoni Ended the Drought
After 1995, India did not win for many years. They lost in 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2008. In 2004 and 2008 India reached the final but lost to Sri Lanka. In 2010, MS Dhoni led India to the Asia Cup title after 15 years. He also won the 2016 Asia Cup, which was in T20 format.
Rohit Sharma Has Two Titles
In 2018, when Virat Kohli was not playing, Rohit Sharma became captain. India won the Asia Cup for the 7th time. In 2023, as full-time captain, Rohit again won the trophy. India beat Bangladesh in 2018 and Sri Lanka in 2023.