From 1984 to 2018: How Team India fared in Asia Cup

8th Asia Cup title!

That's what Team India will be aiming for when the battle for continental supremacy begins.

India have been a dominant force in the multi-nation tournament ever since its inception in 1984. In fact, till 1995, India had won all four editions of the Asia Cup they had participated in.

However, Sri Lanka's rise that coincided with their 1996 World Cup triumph changed their fortunes in the continental competition as well. They ended India's dominance in Asia by winning the 1997 edition, having finished runners-up four out of five times.

As India's slump began, Pakistan too managed to win the coveted trophy for the first time in 2000, with Sri Lanka taking the honours in the 2004 & 2008 editions.

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The Men in Blue's wait for their fifth title ended only after 15 years.

In a one-sided final, India defeated Sri Lanka by 81 runs and took the revenge for their 2008 loss, when Ajantha Mendis wreaked havoc in the final by snaffling 6-18.

However, the 2010 edition is remembered for different reasons. In a high-octane clash between India and Pakistan earlier, two on-field exchanges grabbed the headlines. First, there was a fight between Kamran Akmal and Gautam Gambhir, followed by some epic banter between Harbhajan Singh and Shoaib Akhtar.

In 2012, India failed to qualify for the final despite some mind-boggling knocks from Virat Kohli. Two years later, Kohli once again proved to be India's best batter but it still wasn't enough to take them to the final.

In 2016, for the first time the tournament was held in the T20 format, and India found their mojo back, winning all the matches on their way to lifting the trophy.

In the 2018 edition of the Asia Cup, India faced stiff challenges from both Hong Kong & Afghanistan. But they somehow managed to reach the final, where they defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets, scoring the winning runs off the last delivery.

In search of their third consecutive title, India will once again enter this year's competition as favourites. But can they really make it a hat-trick of continental championships? Only time will tell.