Skipper MSD seems to be all revved up

In winning nine of their last ten T20 matches, India have been the epitome of consistency in this format. These wins have come in three different countries, including an unblemished record in the Asia Cup so far.

These statistics add heft to the belief that M S Dhoni and his team start favourites in Sunday's final against Bangladesh. The batting's been powerful, the bowling resourceful, the fielding brilliant.

While in Australia and against Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma was the lynchpin of the batting, in the Asia Cup it has been the redoubtable Virat Kohli, but what's more important is that the top order has been consistently productive.

Such has been the form of the batsmen that there is keen competition at least among four of them to fit three places in the playing Xl: Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane and Yuvraj Singh. It's not much different in the bowling, with Harbhajan Singh, Pawan Negi and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar having to warm the bench, waiting patiently to break through into the playing side, which came through finally against UAE after India's place in the final was secure.

I had argued that Dhoni should try out all his players at various times in these past weeks, if only to get a better understanding of his options. But he has obviously largely stuck to a side he believes will help win matches. All things considered, this is sound thinking. It allows these players to jell with each other.

This has also allowed somebody like Yuvraj Singh, with more time spent in the middle, to find his groove as a batsman too. The most marked difference in the Indian team since losing the ODI series 1-4 against Australia is the strong revival of desire to win. Obviously, the T20 format has played a part, but I think there has also been a conscious effort to raise energy levels and tempo on the field.

Any change in attitude must stem from the top. Dhoni's refusal to take time out after he suffered a back spasm validates this. Though Parthiv Patel had been flown in as cover, Dhoni decided that he would play, including the inconsequential game against UAE.

The Indian captain seems all revved up, wants to be in the thick of action in every match even if at some risk. This is a big season for him. Dhoni has set his sights on winning and wants to be in control at all times. So far, he's done splendidly. The only defeat in the past three months came against Sri Lanka at Pune in the bilateral series a few weeks ago when India were bowled out for under 100 in a miserable batting display.

I thought India approached the match with a high degree of arrogance which backfired badly. In the context of what happened before and after, the defeat could be dismissed as an aberration.

But Dhoni would ignore the lesson from that match at his own peril on Sunday for sport, as we know, can be cruel. It is now a truism in cricket that the shorter the duration of a match, the more level the playing field. In the T20 format, therefore, while teams might indeed look mismatched on paper, it may not mean much.

There have been more topsy-turvy results in this format than in the others as even a cursory glance at the record book will reveal. For those seeking further proof of this, it is instructive that no team has won the T20 World Championship twice. While Bangladesh will theoretically be underdogs, it is worth remembering that barring India, the home team has beaten every other side in the tournament convincingly. So, while Dhoni and his team look in excellent form, they are forewarned: drop your guard, as against Sri Lanka at Pune, and there will be a heavy price to pay.