Bengaluru, Feb 26: England captain Andrew Strauss on Saturday said that his team were mindful of the importance of the match against India and would try to spoil the party for the hosts at the iconic Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday.

Commenting on Indian legend Tendulkar Strauss conceded that he was one of the modern greats about whom no criticism was possible, even from the opposition camp.

Strauss picked stylish batsman Kevin Pietersen as the man who could lift the team with his performance at the top of the order. Terming Pietersen as a ‘big match player’, Strauss said that KP’s experience in the Indian Premier League would go a long way in helping him and his teammates prepare well for the match.

Excerpts from a media interaction

On the importance of the India-England encounter

Yes, there is a huge sense of anticipation. As I said after playing Holland, this is going to be a huge occasion and it will be a great atmosphere in Bangalore. I think it is one of those games that everyone dreams of playing - I mean playing against India in the World Cup on their home soil. It is a great opportunity for us and we are excited. [It is a] huge game for us. We would love to spoil the Indian party in Bangalore.

On Sachin Tendulkar He has been one of the mammoths in world cricket over the last two decades. It is a great testament to him and his preparations. Not many negative words you can say about him. Our job is not to build the Indian players [up in our heads].

On whether Kevin Pietersen, whose last 100 in ODIs was in India in 2008, would come good on Sunday

It is the sort of match that brings out the best in him. Opening the batting will give him a fresh outlook on the one-day game. Probably he will return big runs. He has performed well in the subcontinent and he knows the wicket very well and he has played a lot of IPL games here. Big matches and big tournaments generally bring the best out of him.

On whether KP would be weighed down by the fact that he has averaged just over 20 the past two years

It is not the time to take the pressure off, it is the World Cup. We need to stand up and perform and he knows that more than anyone else. We know what he can bring to our side. He is a match-winning player. I am confident that he will come up with telling performances in the course of the tournament.

For this match in particular, KP comes into the picture. Mainly it is myself and the coach. [Bowling coach] David Saker has been involved with the IPL, he could also come into the picture. We get opinions from two or three people and finally we make a decision. On fiery Indian opener Virender Sehwag

We have got plans to stop Sehwag. On the possible contest between Graeme Swann and Harbhajan Singh I don’t know about that. There are many battles inside the game but the side that wins the game is the one that has more players playing well. If it does turn, India has got a few spinners. We have got a couple ourselves. It is as much about the batsmen playing them.

On England’s poor record against India Look, I don’t think it is a case of re-inventing the wheel. I think we just need to play smart cricket. In some ways there is more pressure on India than on us in this game. If we can play good, smart cricket and put them under pressure, hopefully pressure will come to the fore. We’ve played good cricket for quite some time now, for the past 24 months or so, and it is something that we are very proud of. We have performed well in high pressure games and this is one of those games. We are confident of doing well again. They are a very strong side in home conditions. We have played well against them in England [rather] than in India. We have evolved well as a side in the last 24 months. We take a lot of confidence from the Twenty20 triumph. Our bowlers are quite smart now. We need to play well.

There is a lot of enthusiasm and excitement and hopefully the guys will bring that on to the pitch. On the pitch

We had a look yesterday before the rain and we need another look. There are conflicting reports on how the wicket would play. Some say the ball would come nicely and some say the ball would turn. In the warm-up games it turned a little bit. We have to take our side considering the conditions. We will take a final call tomorrow morning. On whether the team would field two spinners

It is definitely an option if it turns like it did in the warm-up game against Australia. It is important not to assume too much. The weather around at the moment might change the plans. Anyway, we have to make a smart choice.

On the use of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) Generally, I have been a fan of UDRS. You get more decisions right as a result of it, it is very new in one-day cricket and over the course of this tournament, we will get a better idea whether it is as good in one-day cricket as it is in Test cricket. It is a great tool to have in your armoury. If the umpire makes a poor decision, it can be overturned.