On This Day: India beat Pakistan to win inaugural Asia Cup title in 1984

The day of April 13 was one of the most historic days for Indian cricket, as they won their first-ever Asia Cup after beating Pakistan in the final of the tournament by 54 runs in 1984. It was one of the most iconic low-scoring ODI games that the land of Sharjah got to witness. 

It was India who elected to bat first in the game, and it was wicketkeeper Surinder Khanna and Ghulam Parkar who opened the batting for the Indian team in a match which was shortened to 46 overs, and put up a great stand for the first wicket. Though there were moments when Pakistan were in the game, the match-defining knocks from Khanna (56 off 72 deliveries) and Sandeep Patil (43 off 50 deliveries) made sure the Indian team got to a dependable total of 188. Though this was a great comeback, it was not exactly a match-winning total that was set.

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However, the Indian bowlers had other ideas as they put the brakes on the Pakistan innings. None of the Pakistan batters could manage to reach a big total in the end, thanks to the spells of Roger Binny (3/33 in 9.4 overs) and Ravi Shastri (3/40 in 10 overs). The Pakistan innings were bundled out for 134 runs in the end.

Watch the moment of India vs Pakistan inaugural Asia Cup here:

Top performers during the Asia Cup

Notably, Surinder Khanna was adjudged the Player of the Match in the final for his incredible half-century and brilliant work behind the stumps. He was also the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 107 runs in the two games he played. 

The highest wicket-taker in the tournament was Ravi Shastri, who took four wickets, with his best figures of the tournament coming in this match itself. This was a moment of celebration for the Indian team, who were led by Sunil Gavaskar in the tournament, and who also played a crucial cameo of 36 in the game.