5 forgotten victories of India under Mohammad Azharuddin's captaincy

#1 Against Pakistan in Dhaka (1998 Silver Jubilee Independence Cup, 3rd Final)

Sourav Ganguly's sublime century enabled India to hunt down a mammoth total

In what was a classic example of irony, Bangladesh belatedly celebrated 25 years of their independence by inviting Pakistan and India for a triangular tournament. As expected, the hosts lost both of their games to leave the round of finals for the two Asian giants. With both teams obtaining one victory each from the first two finals, the stage was set for one last showdown.

As was the norm then, the likes of Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed added another chapter of their affinity for India's bowling attack. Both batsmen scored scintillating centuries to propel Pakistan to a colossal score. Even though history showed that such a target could not be hunted down, the Indian batsmen did not cede their belief as the surface remained benign.

Tendulkar made his intentions pretty clear by blasting a 26-ball 41. When he fell to Shahid Afridi, his opening partner Sourav Ganguly took control of the situation. The elegant southpaw smashed a sizzling century and formed a match-defining partnership with Robin Singh. When the duo were separated, they had taken their team to the precipice of victory. But Saqlain Mushtaq's venomous spell kept Pakistan in the hunt. Amidst fading light, Hrishikesh Kanitkar knocked off the winning runs to seal the then record-run chase for India.

Brief Scores: Pakistan - 314/5 from 48 overs (Saeed Anwar 140, Ijaz Ahmed 117, Harvinder Singh 3/74); India - 316/7 from 47.5 overs (Sourav Ganguly 124, Robin Singh 82, Saqlain Mushtaq 3/66)

Result - India won by 3 wickets with 1 ball to spare

Reminisce India's thrilling run-chase in the third final