Ryan ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, has voiced his concerns regarding the national team’s waning prowess against spin bowling, historically one of their greatest strengths. Ten Doeschate attributes this decline to a pronounced shift in mindset, where the team’s focus has heavily veered towards excelling against high-quality fast bowling, often at the expense of their spin play. The recent ODI series against Sri Lanka starkly highlighted this vulnerability, with the Indian team losing an alarming 27 wickets to spin.
In an exclusive interview with TalkSport Cricket, ten Doeschate remarked on the Indian team’s evolving approach. “The Indian mindset has become so driven to do well overseas that the focus has moved away from what was once their strength-playing spin,” he said. “I guess one of the challenges that I wasn’t expecting and kind of overlooked is the playing of spin.”
Ten Doeschate emphasized that India’s ambition to succeed on foreign soil, particularly in conditions prevalent in Australia and England, has led to an unintended neglect of their spin play. “The Indians are so driven to do well overseas,” he explained. “I think the focus has moved to doing well in Australia and doing well in England, and we’ve kind of let playing spin, which was always the strength of the Indian team, fall back a little bit. So that’s one thing I’m looking forward to, helping get to that position where Indians are the best players of spin in the world again.”
The Dutchman is one of three assistant coaches supporting the new head coach, Gautam Gambhir. Former South African pacer Morne Morkel is set to play a significant role in enhancing the team’s bowling unit, while the responsibility of refining batting techniques falls on the shoulders of Abhishek Nayar and ten Doeschate. Despite the intricate challenge ahead, ten Doeschate stresses that the remedy is not overly technical.
“I don’t think much of what we’re going to bring is technical knowledge to these guys,” he said. “It’s more about mindsets, situational awareness, how we think they can control certain phases of the game. It’s about throwing ideas out there, de-briefing, and keeping the mental space really good. That’s going to be really important.
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The new coaching lineup steps in at a pivotal moment in India’s cricketing journey. Fresh off their triumph in the T20 World Cup, India is now eyeing major upcoming tournaments such as the World Test Championship (WTC) and the Champions Trophy. Ten Doeschate acknowledged the mixed emotions accompanying this transition but remains optimistic about the future. “It’s exciting and kind of daunting at the same time,” he admitted. “In terms of what we’re looking forward to, qualifying for the WTC final. There’s a great opportunity with 10 Tests left, five in India [over the next couple of months] and then going to Australia [for five more at the end of 2024] is going to be great.”
He continued, highlighting the near-term challenges and opportunities. “Then in the medium term there’s the Champions Trophy. With only three ODIs left in the prep phase, it’s going to be really challenging to switch between the formats and get the team ready for that. They’re desperate to win,” he added.
Looking ahead, ten Doeschate sees a bright future, underpinned by significant long-term objectives. “Then in the next [WTC] cycle, the tour to England [summer of 2025] is going to be fantastic and then prepping the team for the [2026] T20 World Cup,” he said. “In terms of timing, it’s quite difficult to walk into a team that’s just come back with the World Cup, but in terms of what’s ahead for the next 18 months, it’s mouth-watering as a coach. It’s all the series you want to be involved in and all the challenges you want to come up against.”
The assistant coach’s comments underscore the urgency of rekindling India’s mastery over spin while balancing their newfound strength against fast bowling. The forthcoming months promise a rigorous test of ten Doeschate’s strategies and the team’s adaptability as they strive to reclaim their dominance across all formats of the game. With a mixture of ambition and cautious optimism, the Indian cricket team embarks on this renewed journey, aiming to achieve new heights while rediscovering their legacy.