The Asia Cup in 2000 was overshadowed by the shadowy dealings of a few top-of-the-shelf cricketers. India would have mixed feelings about the sordid affair at the turn of the century, as it was the Indian police who unearthed a devastating evidence against Hansie Cronje, but a few of the Indian cricketers too, found their careers terminated abruptly because of their alleged involvement in the match-fixing saga.

Mohammed Azharuddin, the former Indian captain, was one of them. This was to be his last international appearance. On the pitch, Sanath Jayasuriya continued his haunt-India campaign and smashed a 105 in quick time. That was also the time when the Indian batting began and ended with Sachin Tendulkar. Even his run-a-ball 93 could not save India from being beaten by the Lankans.

The suspense over the finalists was well and truly over in the next big match, when India failed to overcome a target of 295 set by Pakistan. Yousuf Youhana's last ball six off Thiru Kumaran was the highlight of the match as it brought up his century. With the top order cleaned up in no time, Ajay Jadeja's efforts at a salvage operation, with his 93, was just not going to be enough.

In the finals, the in-form Pakistan team managed to beat Sri Lanka after taking advantage of batting first on a beautiful batting track. The usual suspects, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam Ul-Haq took Pakistan to 277 and Marvan Atapattu's 100 was a good innings in a lost cause. There were no major surprises in the tournament, but the cricket world was expecting a massive shake-up in the days to come with many of its superstars populating the hall-of-shame.

Indian cricket lost Mohammed Azharuddin forever, or was it the other way around! A stylish batsman, who exercised his wrists more than his biceps, had become a national villain after enjoying years of adulation from India's passionate cricket fans. Ajay Jadeja too, was caught in the net and was banned for 5 years. On the other hand, players like Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, who had emerged unscathed from the controversy, symbolized the hope and future of Indian cricket.