'Scoring those half-centuries and winning the trophy for India is indeed special.'
Sunil Gavaskar and Surinder Khanna have a special place in Asia Cup history.
Gavaskar was the first captain to lift the Asia Cup; Khanna was the first Player of the Tournament in the inaugural tournament in 1984 at the Sharjah cricket stadium.
An iconic photo of Gavaskar lifting the Asia Cup, sporting a thick moustache and standing alongside Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, who organised the event, and Khanna, is displayed prominently at the Sharjah cricket stadium.
Standing in front of that famous photograph, Gavaskar, speaking to this reporter some years ago, had said: "I am so happy to have been part of the first Asia Cup which India won and also to have become part of the first-ever international match at this stadium during that event. Many congratulations to Abdul Rehman Bukhatir and his sons, who have now taken up the mantle to carry on this wonderful tradition."
First Player of the Tournament
Speaking to this reporter from New Delhi, Khanna, who had played an unbeaten knock of 51 against Sri Lanka and 56 against Pakistan to ensure India the title, said: "I am so happy that I became part of history through those knocks. No one had played any international matches in Sharjah before, and the feeling of scoring those half-centuries and winning the trophy for India is indeed special."
"No one, except Bukhatir, ever thought that cricket would prosper here, and today it has spread to other emirates with world-class venues. Sharjah should have been given some of the Asia Cup matches during this edition, as they are the pioneers who launched this tournament and cricket in the region."
All doors lead to the Asia Cup
With all entrance doors to the Dubai international stadium beautifully decorated with Asia Cup logos, it gives the feeling of all doors leading to the T20 tournament. Some of the doors have also been adorned with photographs of the star players who will participate in the 17th edition of this tournament.
Paintings of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam, which used to be a permanent feature of the posters in Sharjah, are absent this time. Their absence can be felt not only on the posters but also at the practice area.
Virat, Rohit, Babar always needed special security personnel around them to ward off fans. Still, hundreds gathered around the team bus at the ICC Academy practice venue to have a glimpse of Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah. They kept calling out their names, seeking their acknowledgement, despite the heat and humid conditions in Dubai.
All posters of the players have their mouths open as if they are screaming. One does not know whether the images were chosen to express aggression or their reaction to the heat and humid conditions in store for them.
The logo for the Asia Cup has been created with imagination and is quite colourful. The focus is on a batter playing an aggressive stroke -- revealing the energetic, fast-paced nature of T20 cricket. The stroke transcends into different colours, representing the jerseys of the eight participating countries.
Nostalgic for Omarzai
It was a nostalgic moment for Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai, who was named Player of the Match in the opening game against Hong Kong at the Abu Dhabi Zayed cricket stadium on Tuesday. It was through this stadium that he entered the international cricket arena, making his ODI debut against Ireland in 2021.
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