Everyone has his own biases, little or big, and I am no exception. If I write this post tomorrow or after the Twenty20 final gets over, definitely the bias of the happenings in that match will reflect in my assessment. So based on the Indian team's performance at the Twenty20 World Cup, up to and including the semi-final against Australia, here goes nothing!

I know it is becoming a bit of a cliché here, what with everyone using the phrase, but this team seems to be without fear of failure. Maybe with the big three missing from action, the fact that everyone (this author included) expected them to lose in the first round here has actually helped. Also the newcomers, unburdened by past failures and not yet victims of undiluted hero-worship and adulation, have their minds on the job at hand; I am sure that helps a lot.

Rohit Sharma, who might never have got a game in this World Cup if not for the injury to Yuvraj in the SA game, took the chance offered with glee, and in addition to displaying a cool temperament while batting, basically finished off the main prong of the Proteas challenge with the diving run-out of Justin Kemp, who would never have imagined in his wildest dreams that an Indian fielder could run him out in that situation.

The more I see of Robin Uthappa, the better he looks every time. When he first came into the team, he was looking to slam everything out of sight and in Twenty20 he has found a format where this, and none other, is a winning strategy. It is not just blind slogging, but cricket shots hit with power and with the assurance of one who knows what he is doing, and in this short tournament, I can see someone who would love the bouncy tracks in Australia later this year.

Gambhir and to a lesser extent Sehwag have given India starts that if not the mad, wild dashes we might have anticipated, have kept them in the hunt admirably while keeping wickets intact. Their contributions have been lost somewhere in the media stories because of the glitz of the middle-order brilliance, but they have played their parts, never doubt that.

Dinesh Kaarthick has disappointed in terms of his batting, but his superb catch to get Smith in the quarter-final showed the benefits of having multi-dimension cricketers. They always have so many ways of contributing; if one fails, they always have another option; somewhere, somehow, they can make a difference! This is especially true for ODI cricket (50-50 or Twenty20)!

The captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has been the King Midas of this tournament, with everything he touches turning to gold. He won the right tosses, made the right bowling changes (bringing back Sreesanth who got rid of Hayden), and isn't afraid to back his instinct (giving the ball to Joginder for the last over; even if many feel this was a forced move on his part, the "experts" would still have backed Sehwag or Yuvraj for their experience considering the match situation). His batting has been ugly as always, and I feel he is not timing the ball as he has in the past. But he still has a great strike rate, so who cares?

Finally, Yuvraj, who has stunned everyone (and himself) with the most devastating batting one has seen from an Indian cricketer. While Sachin at his peak was brilliant, Yuvraj probably scores one over because of the sheer arrogance of his stroke-play. His six-hitting feats (see here and here) have taken away from the fact that the shots that have not gone for six but have gone for fours, twos and ones (Has he scored a single? Frankly I don't know!) have been equally well hit.

The bowlers are the unwanted second cousins of this format of the game, and despite that, the Indian bowlers have come out with their heads held high. Sreesanth has been crazy as can be, but at crucial times - as in the last over against Pakistan and the brilliant spell against Australia in the semi-finals - delivered the goods, albeit with maniac-like facial gestures and ground-banging antics. R.P. was brilliant against South Africa and good throughout, and Pathan has been admirable in the way he has handled the pressure. Making his comeback in this format, which is nothing short of a graveyard for bowlers, is tough, and his bowling has provided just the right kind of stability required in the middle overs.

He has been cool and more often than not hit the right spots, and you couldn't ask for anything better. As for Bhajji, the man whose expression says that he has been wrongly slighted by the selectors all these days, whether he wants to prove a point or not, his controlled aggression has been a boon for India. On air, Ian Chappell has been critical of him for trying to block runs rather than go for wickets, but in this game, there are no right answers, and while we might castigate Bhajji for the same reason sometime in the future, as of today his way has been the correct way because India has won. I have in the past been critical of Bhajji's efforts on the field, but his eagerness to get into the scrap and take the 18th over has made up for it. It wasn't just the captain who gave him the ball; it was the bowler who was eager to step up to face the challenge and it was good to see.

Finally, Joginder, who was the hero of the last over against Australia but has struggled throughout. His wide grin after each of the first two dot balls in that last over made me wonder about those nameless many who stand at the fringe between domestic and international cricket and sometimes never get the chance to show that they can hold their nerve at the highest level, perhaps better than those with better credentials in terms of experience.

Probably Ajit Agarkar might go back from this tournament wishing he had done better in the chances he had got, Piyush Chawla might wonder why he didn't get a better run, and Yusuf Pathan will be forgiven for wondering if he will ever don the Indian colours again. For Agarkar, it has been one of countless chances, and the other two will probably be wishing they are as lucky as him.

For this World Cup at least, the Indian team has rocked, and whatever be the outcome of the final, they will always remain in my mind as the men who dared.