Asia Cup XI that could beat the Champions India

A game that went down the wire was worthy of a final as India held its nerves to emerge victorious for the record seventh time in the history of the tournament. Bangladeshi tigers once again fell short of what could have been their first title at the International level.

The Men in Blue had a dominating run throughout the tournament except for few hiccups against Hong Kong and Afghanistan. In both the games, the Indian team was drawn in deep waters before someone stood tall to inspire a comeback.

India's formidable bowling attack was found in trouble in the first game against Hong Kong and even the batting line-up was tested in the Super Four game against Afghanistan.

Let's take a look at the Asia Cup XI that could have gone past the intimidating Indian side.

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#1 Openers

Against a top quality side like India, the opposition must possess a fine balance in their opening pair. The duo of Mohammad Shahzad and Imam ul-haq will be the perfect combination to open the innings.

Mohammad Shahzad

Someone like Shahzad can tonk the ball hard and can go after the bowlers to accumulate runs at a brisk pace to exploit initial overs to the full of its advantage for his team. His knock of 124 against the Indians in their final match was a display of some spectacular hitting.

Imam-ul-haq

Imam can play the second fiddle to the Afghani batsman to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard ticking. The Southpaw has shown the determination to play long innings and stay till the end to help the team's cause. They both will complement each other well to lay the foundation for a huge score in the reckoning.

#2 Middle-order

This will form the backbone of the batting order with a responsibility of ensuring no hiccups in the middle overs against Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Hashmatullah Shahidi

The young left-handed Afghani batsman loves to accumulate runs at his own pace by nudging the balls for ones and twos in the park. He was the leading run-scorer for Afghanistan in the entire tournament. He scored 263 runs at an impressive average of 63.75.

Mushiqur Rahim

The experienced campaigner for the men in green was their flag-bearer in scoring runs with the bat. He single-handedly took the game away from the opposition on quite a few occasions. His spectacular run saw him as the third leading run-scorer of the tournament with a tally of 302 runs at an average of 60.40.

Shoaib Malik

The only positive in Pakistan's middle-order saw the coming off age of Malik. The 36-year was the only performer who held his bat to score runs for his team on every possible occasion. His ability to finish games, still makes him irreplaceable in the team.

#3 All-rounders

The quality of these players determines the ability of the team to win the series and tournaments. They provide the much-needed balance to the side by performing in all the three departments of the game.

Mahmudullah

One of the most promising figures in the Bangladesh squad, Mahmudullah has been a vital player for the Tigers. He anchors the innings lower down the order and can give his skipper 4-5 overs of decent off-spin bowling on regular basis. He scored 156 runs with a crucial knock against Afghanistan and also managed to scalp three wickets.

Mohammad Nabi

The most experienced player in the team is a vital cog in the wheel for Afghanistan. He is someone who possesses a good technique both against pace and spin who can provide the late flourish in the batting order. A handy off-spinner who will always serve his skipper with an economical spell of ten overs, Nabi gives the much-needed impetus to the side in all the three departments.

#4 Bowlers

The bowling unit needs to be at its toes to counter against the batting-heavy Indian side.

Masrafe Mortaza

A canny leader, Mortaza has done a fine job for his team. He also leads this side as one of the most experienced members of the XI. He also serves the purpose by bowling few tidy overs, and not allowing any batsmen to free his arms and up the scoring rate.

Rashid Khan

The trump card of the bowling attack, Rashid is a deceptive bowler who bowls at a quick pace to deceive the batsman in the air for the variations coming off his hands. He was the most successful bowler of the tournament with as many as ten wickets at an impressive economy of 3.73.

Mustafizur Rahman

One of the emerging talents in the Bangladesh cricket, Mustafizur has come through the ranks to be renowned as the leader of their pace attack. He bowls deadly accurate yorkers along with his deceptive slower deliveries, making it difficult for the batsmen to get going against him. He scalped 10 wickets in the entire tournament.

Aftab Alam

The Afghan medium-pace bowler is still in the early stages of his career. A team which is making whispers for its spin attack, Aftab has impressed one and all with his consistency and the ability to hit right areas on a regular basis.