Asia Cup 2018: Strongest XI

India defeated Bangladesh in a nail-biting final on Friday to win the 2018 Asia Cup. The game lasted till the last ball of India’s chase and Jadhav took India home, despite a hamstring injury. This tournament has produced some stunning cricket and the finals did not disappoint us.

There were some brilliant individual performances throughout the tournament. Liton Das took India by surprise with a scintillating 121 in the finals. Mohammad Shahzad scored a blistering hundred against India in a Super Four game. Indian openers were at this belligerent best, all through the Asia Cup.

On the bowling front, Malinga produced a devastating spell in the opening game of the tournament, but the Sri Lanka team as a whole wasn’t good enough to qualify for the Super Four. Ravindra Jadeja was consistent for India and Rashid Khan was at his usual best for Afghanistan. Shakib Al Hasan’s injury was a great set back for Bangladesh.

Honorable Mention: Imam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

On that note, let’s take a look at Strongest 2018 Asia Cup XI.

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma

With a hundred and two fifties, Rohit Sharma was exceptional for India at the top. Opening the batting, the Indian captain gave solid starts and was consistent throughout the tournament. He has scored 317 runs in just five games at an average of 105.66. He finished the 2018 Asia Cup as the second highest run-getter. Rohit’s captaincy record is getting better and better.

Shikhar Dhawan was adjudged Man of the Series in the 2018 Asia Cup after some phenomenal batting performances. The 32-year-old scored two hundreds in the tournament and was blistering at the top. Dhawan finished the tournament with 342 runs from five games. At an average of 68.40 and a strike rate of 102.08, he was easily the best batsman in the 2018 Asia Cup.

Middle-order: Mushfiqur Rahim, Shoaib Malik, and Hasmatullah Shahidi

Mushfiqur Rahim was Bangladesh’s best batsman in the tournament. In five games, the 31-year-old has scored 302 runs at an average of 60.40. He scored a hundred and a fifty in the tournament and was their batting mainstay. In the absence of Tamim Iqbal, he took the run-scoring responsibilities on his shoulders and did a great job.

The 36-year-old still has a lot of gas left in his tank to play at the highest level. With two fifties and some useful contributions, Shoaib Malik was consistent for Pakistan throughout the 2018 Asia Cup. He has scored 211 runs in five games at an average of 70.33. Lack of support for the veteran batsman has resulted in Pakistan’s downfall.

Hasmatullah Shahidi is arguably the find of the tournament. The 23-year-old was brilliant for Afghanistan in the middle-order and rescued their batting lineup on multiple occasions in the tournament. Hasmatullah has scored 263 runs in five games at an average of 65.75. With three fifties, he was always there for his team when needed.

All-rounders: Kedar Jadhav and Mohammad Nabi

Kedar Jadhav was pivotal in India's 2018 Asia Cup success

Kedar Jadhav turned India’s unlikely hero in the finals of the 2018 Asia Cup. He won the game for India in the last ball, despite a serious hamstring injury. In six games, Jadhav has scored 70 runs with the bat and was dismissed only once in the tournament. He was more than useful with the ball and picked up six wickets at an economy rate of 3.97.

Mohammad Nabi played a key role for Afghanistan in the 2018 Asia Cup. The 33-year-old scored 134 runs at an average of 26.80 and a strike rate of 107.20, which also included a fifty. Nabi was equally effective with the ball as well and picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 3.76. His all-round abilities proved to be vital for Afghanistan.

Spinners: Rashid Khan and Kuldeep Yadav

Rashid Khan finished as tournament's best bowler

Rashid Khan simply can’t stop taking wickets at the moment. The 20 year old was once again Afghanistan’s best bowler and finished the tournament with 10 wickets. He finished as the best bowler in the 2018 Asia Cup and bowled at an economy rate of 3.72. He also scored 87 runs with the bat, which included a stunning fifty. He is arguably the best spinner in limited-overs cricket right now.

Kuldeep Yadav is not far behind Rashid Khan in terms of recent success in One Day Internationals. Kuldeep was once again India’s best bowler in a ODI series this year, after his stunning exploits in South Africa. He took 10 wickets from six games in the tournament at an economy rate of 4.08. He produced some brilliant spells in the tournament and was unplayable on occasions.

Seamers: Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman

Bumrah picked up eight wickets in the tournament

With eight wickets in just four games, Jasprit Bumrah was exceptional for India in the 2018 Asia Cup. He bowled well with the powerplay and also in the death overs. With an economy rate of 3.67, Bumrah finished as the most economical bowler in the tournament (bowlers with a minimum of five wickets). Bumrah is also the World No.1 bowler in ODI cricket at the moment.

With 10 wickets in five games, Mustafizur Rahman finished on-level with Kuldeep Yadav and Rashid Khan for most wickets in the tournament. He was Bangladesh’s trump card in the tournament and picked up wickets with both new and old ball. He was also brilliant in the final against India with figures of 2 for 38 in 10 overs. Fizz is Back!