The Asia Cup best XI

With the Asia Cup done and dusted and Sri Lanka crowned the new champions, heroes have been made, new stars have been produced and we can safely say that it was a banger of a tournament.

Here, we at The Business Standard sports team have picked the best eleven of the tournament, based on stats, impact and winning contribution.  

Mohammad Rizwan

This would have been an easy pick if Rizwan's innings in the final helped Pakistan win the tournament but he still was the most important cog in Pakistan's batting wheel. He was the top run-getter in the tournament with 281 runs. His innings of 71 against India in the Super Four group helped them win and get momentum on their route to the final.

Kusal Mendis

This guy rode his luck but made it count as he helped Sri Lanka get good starts in the tournament more often than not. After losing the opening Group Stage match against Afghanistan, Kusal was an important part in Sri Lanka winning against Bangladesh (with an innings of 60) and then against India (with an innings of 57) and why Sri Lanka became such a good side when chasing challenging totals. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz 

Although another opener, Gurbaz has to be in the side for his power-hitting and six-hitting ability. He hit 12 sixes in the tournament, the most by any batter here, and batted with an impressive strikerate over 163. 

Virat Kohli

Kohli's 100 after over 1,000 days without one, against Afghanistan was by far the most impressive innings in the Asia Cup and that alone should get him a place in the team. That aside, he was always chipping in with runs for India, even though they didn't have the best of tournaments and was the second-highest scorer here.  

Bhanuka Rajapaksa

The man of the final, Rajapaksa was an important cog for Sri Lanka's middle and lower-middle order with his swashbuckling batting. He not only scored runs, but his runs helped his team win, especially the 71 not out in the final against a gun Pakistan bowling attack.  

Dasun Shanaka (c)

The captain cool of the tournament, Shanaka has been the glue to hold this Sri Lanka team together when it mattered and he performed when it mattered too, with bat and ball. The innings of 45 he played against Bangladesh helped Sri Lanka qualify for the Super Four stage and then the innings of 33 not-out he played against India helped them make the final. He also took two wickets in that match against India.

Wanindu Hasaranga 

The player of the tournament, Hasaranga came in with a big reputation as Sri Lanka's best bowler, but he delivered with both bat and ball when it mattered. Especially in the final, when he scored 36, giving support to Rajapaksa and then took three wickets in an over to kill off the Pakistan run-chase. 

Mohmammad Newaz 

Newaz was a bit of an underrated player in the Pakistan bowling lineup but his impact was obvious as he helped keep things quiet with the ball in the middle overs and also took wickets while at it. Perhaps the biggest flaw was him not bowling his full quota of overs in the final. That aside, he took eight wickets with an economy of under six. 

Naseem Shah 

The starboy of the Pakistan team and perhaps this tournament, Shah probably produced the delivery of the tournament and the year in the final to dismiss Kusal Mendis. He was a regular wicket-taker for Pakistan but his moment of glory came with the bat when he hit two sixes in the final over to help Pakistan defeat Afghanistan.

Haris Rauf 

Rauf was another Pakistan bowler that was so good, but perhaps a tad underrated with what he did. His raw pace made him almost too hot to handle at times and was possibly the fastest bowler in the tournament. He ended the tournament with eight wickets and an excellent strike rate of 15.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman 

He was excellent for the most part in the tournament, especially in the Group Stages as he wreaked havoc against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka's top order. The spinner ended the tournament as the most economical bowler to have played till the Super Four stage with an economy of 5.55.