After much deliberation, multiple official and unofficial meeting, and a long wait, the Asia Cricket Council finally confirmed the dates and venues of the Asia Cup 2023, which will be played in ODI format.
The Asian Cup 2023 will be held in Pakistan before the caravan moves to Sri Lanka as the tournament will be, for the first time in its history, played in a hybrid model. The tournament is scheduled from 31st August to 17th September and 13 matches will be played – with 4 games in Pakistan and rest in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka won the Asian Cup last year but that was in T20 format. Before that, it was India who emerged victorious in the 2018 Asian Cup which was in ODI format. The upcoming tournament will be played in ODI format serving as a preparation for the World Cup 2023.
India are the most successful team in Asian Cup – having won the title 7 times; they have done in on the back of some strong batting performances from their superstar batters.
Here are India’s top 5 run-scorers in Asia Cup history (ODI format only):
Sachin Tendulkar – 971 runs
It is none other than the legend Sachin Tendulkar who is at the top of the list among Indians. Tendulkar amassed 971 runs in 23 matches at an average of 51. The Master Blaster notched up 2 centuries and 7 fifties in his Asian Cup career.
Overall, he is the third-highest scorer in Asian Cup history – following Sanath Jayasuriya (1220 runs) and Kumar Sangakkara (1075 runs), but both played a few more matches than Tendulkar did.
Rohit Sharma – 745 runs
India’s current captain Rohit Sharma is behind Tendulkar with 745 runs scored in 21 innings in the ODI format Asian Cup at an average of 46. Rohit has hit one century – against Pakistan in 2018 in Dubai – 6 fifties in the Asian Cup ODIs.
Under Rohit’s captaincy, India won the 2018 A. Cup when Kohli was rested; now Rohit is India’s full-time captain and will lead the side.
MS Dhoni – 648 runs
With 648 runs in only 16 innings, former India skipper MS Dhoni is the third-highest scorer for India in Asian Cup (ODI). Those runs for Mahendra Singh Dhoni have come at a terrific average of 64 with one century – against Hong Kong in 2008 – and three fifties to his name. Dhoni captained India to Asian Cup titles in 2010 and 2016.
Virat Kohli – 613 runs
Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli has a magnificent record in the Asia Cup (ODI): 613 runs in only 10 innings at an average of 61. He’s cracked 3 hundreds – vs Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh – and a fifty. Kohli has, though, never captained India in Asian Cup as he took rest from the 2018 tournament.
Gautam Gambhir – 573 runs
India’s man for big occasions, Gambhir has been a prolific run-scorer in the Asian Cup. The left-handed batter has aggregated 573 runs in this competition, including 5 half-centuries and a century against Sri Lanka.
