'Unique bowler'

"We just had a meeting before we got here to talk about our bowling strategies in particular,” Simons said on Saturday evening. “Bangalore has on paper one of the strongest batting line-ups of the competition, we have given a lot of thought to how we are going to bowl to them.”

Opposition teams have increasingly opened the innings with spin to counter the double threat of David Warner and Virender Sehwag, something Simons said his openers were mindful of.

“I will be surprised to see Anil bowl first up,” Simons offered, then quickly added, “He might well do, he has done it in the past. Anil is a very unique bowler in the way he bowls and what he does -- his talents, his abilities and his experience. It will be interesting to see if Bangalore play the extra spinner.

“But certainly, both Virender and David are very aware that that is a ploy opposition sides have used and it’s important that they play accordingly.”

The key in Twenty20 cricket, Simons observed, was to be proactive. “The trick is to be one step ahead all the time,” said India’s bowling coach. “It’s to make sure you analyse what the opposition might do, and have a plan in place. And a Plan B and C sometimes, because most players will analyse their own games as. You’ve got to think quickly on your feet, watch video analysis and make decisions.

Ruling out Ashish Nehra of Sunday’s contest, Simons indicated that New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori would get a look-in.