“Every game, especially games involving India, have a hype because they’re the number one T20 team in the world. There must be a hype. We’re just going to ride on the hype. We’re going to enjoy the moment and enjoy the game,” he said.Assessing conditions, Simmons described the Dubai track as excellent for batting, downplaying the impact of the toss. “I didn’t see much of a difference in the wicket over the 40 overs. The wicket was really good to bat. Bowlers had to bowl properly. I don’t think the toss has that much of an effect,” he said.

Acknowledging the challenges of back-to-back T20 games in the September heat, Simmons praised his squad’s preparation. “It is extremely difficult to play back-to-back T20 matches, back-to-back ODIs. But again we are prepared, we have trained really hard. I think the guys are fit enough to handle it,” he added.On strategy, Simmons emphasised consistency over risk-taking in T20 cricket. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve tried to make sure that this is the way we want to play. And we’ve picked the correct players to play that way. And so far, it’s benefitted us.”Even amidst intense scrutiny and criticism from passionate Bangladeshi fans, Simmons remains unshaken. “As long as I’m confident and my staff and myself, including the captain, are confident in what we’re doing, then criticism is like water off a duck’s back,” he concluded.