It's advantage India against unpredictable Bangladesh

Even as the heat and dust from Bangladesh's ill-tempered win over Sri Lanka settled down, the players were forced to swiftly move on, in anticipation of the final of the Nidahas Trophy 2018. India are clear favourites, to the extent that such a thing is possible in an unpredictable format, but Bangladesh can't have reached the final with more momentum and confidence under the belt.

The reason India can look at their own unit with some contentment and satisfaction is that virtually every player has come good. Save for Jaydev Unadkat and Mohammad Siraj, who struggled and were taken for runs, each cricketer has come good at one time or another.

Rohit Sharma could not get going early on, but he made amends by batting through the innings against Bangladesh, Shikhar Dhawan has built on his strengths, adding consistency to his game, leaving the opening combination in fine fettle.

In the middle-order, where India have been most prone to vulnerability in the recent past, both Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik have given good accounts of themselves, not only when rebuilding was the order of the day but also in judging a match situation and batting accordingly. Karthik has been especially good, turning the strike over with some clever shots and taking full toll when the bowlers erred.

Suresh Raina, whose career was in a bit of a limbo till recently, has tweaked his style of play a touch, attacking even more than he did earlier, and while this means he may not get the big scores with as much regularity, he will have an impact on the game more often than not.

The manner in which Shardul Thakur has deployed the knuckle ball, at crucial times, and the energy with which he has bowled in the death ensure that Rohit has at least one quick bowler he can put absolute faith in.

Vijay Shankar, filling in the all-rounder's role in place of Hardik Pandya, has proven perfectly capable of sending down four overs, changes of pace and varying angles being his stock in trade. If he can overcome the tendency to overstep occasionally or send down wides, he will be another cricketer captains can bank on.

The biggest gain, of course, has been the spinners. While Yuzvendra Chahal has been doing the job in limited-overs cricket for some time now, he has found able support in Washington Sundar, whose off-spin has been deadly effective in the PowerPlay, going for less than six an over while consistently providing early breakthroughs.

For Bangladesh, the return of Shakib-al-Hasan is the biggest plus, although he should consider himself extremely lucky to get away with only being fined 25% of his match fee and earning one demerit point after his shenanigans in the virtual semifinal against Sri Lanka. On the field, Shakib is a great asset, but his tendency to let his emotions get the better of him do not bode well.

India, even this depleted team minus Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, have plenty of experience playing in tournament finals and keeping a cool head when it is needed. When the pressure is on and decisions need to be made in split seconds, it doesn't help to let your heart lead you astray.

Bangladesh can surprise with their passion, but more often than not, it is skill and temperament that prevails.