Did you know how the Asia Cup started? It has a revenge story behind it. Back in the 1983 World Cup, one Indian’s ego was hurt so badly that he went on to create his own tournament. It’s a fascinating story, so stick around till the end.
Most people don’t know this, but N.K.P. Salve, who was the BCCI chairman when Kapil Dev’s team reached the 1983 World Cup final, wanted two extra tickets for the match at Lord’s. The MCC flat-out denied him, even though there were visibly empty seats in the reserved section. That insult didn’t sit well with him. At the time, England controlled the cricketing world. But little did they know that the power dynamics were about to change forever.
This was the third consecutive World Cup being hosted in England. Humiliated, Salve decided it was high time the tournament came to the Indian subcontinent. He even proposed to host the next edition, but the ICC rejected it outright. And honestly, it wasn’t surprising. Back then, the BCCI barely had any control or influence in world cricket.
But Salve wasn’t one to give up. Right after the final, he called together all the Asian cricket boards and formed the Asian Cricket Council, with himself as its first president. That’s when the idea of the Asia Cup was born. Now, cricket grounds in the subcontinent weren’t really in great shape at the time, which is when the UAE stepped in and offered to host. And so, in 1984, the very first Asia Cup was played in Sharjah, and India won it.
The significance? For the first time after the ICC, another council was organising its own international tournament. That sent a powerful message: India could host big events too. The ICC eventually had to bow down and award the next World Cup hosting rights to India.
This wasn’t just a random incident; it was a golden chapter in Indian cricket history. A true turning point that set BCCI on its path to becoming the financial powerhouse of world cricket today.
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