Asia Cup 2018: 3 best knocks from the group stages 

It has been an exciting first half of the tournament at the Asia Cup 2018, dotted with a few upsets after Sri Lanka bowed out of the competition following successive defeats to Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the group stage. And, from Group A, as expected, Hong Kong was the team to be knocked out after they nearly pulled off a charismatic win against the reigning champions.

Now it all boils down to the final four teams in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan as to which two make the cut for the final on September 28. India are now termed as one of the top contenders, especially after their comprehensive win against Pakistan, while there's nothing to choose between the rest of the teams.

The group matches, which were played on slow and low wickets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, had nothing to offer for the bowlers. As a result, the batsmen enjoyed some good time in the middle, though the tournament hasn't witnessed any high-scoring games as bowling attacks have gone about their business with ease.

Here's a look at some of the best knocks so far in the tournament:

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#3 Nizakat Khan, 92 vs India

In Hong Kong's do-or-die game against India, the openers came to the party as the duo of Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath nearly pulled off an upset against the World No..2 ODI giants. They managed to stitch together a game-defining 174-run opening stand as Indian bowlers were left scratching their heads in due course.

The partnership was led by the 26-year old Nizakat Khan, who took the onus upon himself to take the attack to the opposition in sight of a huge 285 runs total. The youngster thrashed the bowlers in all parts of the ground for his 115-ball 92 runs. It was a jaw-dropping performance but unfortunately, the weather took a toll on his body to be eventually dismissed by the debutant Khaleel Ahmed.

#2 Shikhar Dhawan, 127 vs Hong Kong

In India's first encounter against Hong Kong, Shikhar Dhawan was on fire as he blazed his way to a majestic century. He hit the form at the right time and the innings was crucial from his point of view, especially after a lean patch that had extended for way too long in the series against England. But here, he once again came to terms as he stroked freely against the ball that didn't move.

After a cautious start, Shikhar was in the groove to smack his 14th century in the format with a 120-ball 127 before the big game against Pakistan. He held the innings beautifully and hinged a useful partnership with Ambati Rayudu, who came in at No.3.

This was a knock that established control over the opposition and gave them literally no chance to get rid of him. It was only after his wicket that the Indian middle-order faced some hiccups, but in the end, India registered a win by 26 runs.

#1 Mushfiqur Rahim, 144 vs Sri Lanka

In the first game of the tournament, where Bangladesh seemed to be decimated in the first ten overs, Mushfiqur Rahim played the anchor's role as he held the innings beautifully to take his side to a winning total against an inexperienced Sri Lankan batting order. Rahim was the lone warrior after wickets continued to fall at the other end.

However, he steadied the ship, firstly with a crucial partnership with M Mithoon and then changed gears after the tail-enders couldn't hold from the other end. The wicket-keeper batsman mustered his highest individual score of 144 runs in ODI cricket to set the platform for an inspiring win for his side.

He struggled against the weather but still didn't give up hope to score for his side. It was a spectacular effort from the pocket-sized dynamo who yielded high returns for his team.