[Watch] When MS Dhoni-led India dismantled Sri Lanka to hoist Asia Cup after 15 years in 2010
On this day in 2010, former Indian skipper MS Dhoni led Team India to their first Asia Cup title in 15 years by defeating Sri Lanka in the final by 81 runs at Dambulla.
Despite winning the event four prior times, including a hat trick from 1988 to 1995, the Men in Blue had not triumphed in the battle for Asian supremacy since 1995. The four-team tournament also featured Pakistan and Bangladesh, both of whom were knocked out in the league stages.
In the grand finale, India won the crucial toss and elected to bat first. Balanced scoring across the batting lineup saw India post a formidable 268/6 in their 20 overs, with Dinesh Karthik's 66 off 84 deliveries being the top score.
The bowlers then decimated the hosts' batting in the second innings, bowling them out for a paltry 187 in 44 overs. Ashish Nehra led the way with 4/40 in his nine overs, including the key scalps of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
Dinesh Karthik was adjudged the Player of the Match, while Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi was named the Player of the Series.
As we look ahead to the upcoming Asia Cup later this year, let us reminisce with the below video on one of India's famous triumphs at the tournament.
After the game, skipper MS Dhoni was overjoyed with victory in the prestigious event.
"The guys put in a lot of effort in terms of fitness and skill. This is a ideal reflection of that. Nice to win the Asia cup. We were happy to get 270 runs. We wanted to get DIlshan out quickly and the bowlers bowled really well. Zaheer .. Nehra. Once you are in a final and if you dont' win then what you did before that (in the tournament) doesn't matter," said Dhoni.
India won the Asia Cup on this Day in 2010 after 15 long years under the leadership of Dhoni. Dinesh Karthik won the POTM award in the final for 66(84).
Gambhir was the leading run-getter for India & Praveen Kumar, Zaheer, Nehra took 6 wickets each in the tournament. https://t.co/Luc75r9AwS
Since the 2010 triumph, India has won the Asia Cup twice (2016 and 2018), defeating Bangladesh on both occasions. The 2016 event was the first time the competition was played in the T20 format, and has since alternated between that and the ODI format.
The upcoming Asia Cup will be played in the 50-over format as a build-up to the World Cup later this year.
The tournament, featuring six teams, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, starting on August 31.
India beat Pakistan in an instant classic during the group stages of the 2010 Asia Cup
Although India and Sri Lanka were the best teams in the 2010 Asia Cup, the match of the tournament was unquestionably the group-stage clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan.
The marquee clash saw heated battles between several players throughout the second innings, particularly between Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar at the closing stages.
Winning the toss and batting first, Pakistan scored a competitive 267, with Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal scoring impressive half-centuries. In reply, India were led by a sensational 83 by Gautam Gambhir and a valuable 56 by skipper MS Dhoni.
However, the seesaw battle saw Pakistan plug away at the wickets regularly to reduce the Men in Blue to 219-6 in 45 overs. A crucial 34 by Suresh Raina helped India get to 261-6 entering the final over, requiring a further seven runs for victory.
In the final over, the southpaw was run-out attempting a panic single with India still needing six runs off four deliveries. Harbhajan Singh then took matters into his own hands, smashing a stunning six off Mohammad Amir on the penultimate ball with three runs needed of two balls to seal a famous win for India.
The off-spinner was seen exchanging words with the Akhtar while rejoicing in the victory. The result helped India qualify for the final while knocking the Men in Green out of finals contention.