India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, has pointed to a shift in mindset as a contributing factor to the team’s recent struggles against spin bowling. He believes that India’s prioritization of improving their play against high-quality fast bowling—particularly for overseas tours—may have inadvertently compromised their ability to handle spin, a skill for which the team was once renowned. This issue came to the fore during the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka, where a near full-strength Indian squad lost a staggering 27 wickets to spin. The Dutchman, now a pivotal member of the coaching staff, is determined to reverse this trend.
In a candid interview with TalkSport Cricket, Ten Doeschate elaborated on this perceived downturn in India’s spin-playing capabilities. “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 noted. “I guess one of the challenges that I wasn’t expecting and kind of overlooked is the playing of spin.”
The former Netherlands all-rounder observed that India’s overwhelming focus on doing well in nations like Australia and England has led them to neglect the art of playing spin. “We were undone in Sri Lanka, and I think the mindset of the Indians has been such that they are so driven to do well overseas. 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 recent shake-up in India’s coaching structure has brought in Ten Doeschate as one of the three new assistant coaches, under the guidance of newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir. Each assistant coach has a defined role: while Morne Morkel is expected to be the go-to for the bowling unit, the responsibilities revolving around batting have been split between Abhishek Nayar and Ten Doeschate. Interestingly, Ten Doeschate believes that the turnaround will not hinge on technical tweaks but rather on mental adjustments.
“I don’t think much of what we’re going to bring is technical knowledge to these guys,” he commented. “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.”
India’s cricketing journey is at a captivating crossroads. The team has just basked in the glory of becoming the world champions in the T20 format, and ahead lie substantial challenges, notably the World Test Championship and the Champions Trophy. Ten Doeschate acknowledged the mixed bag of emotions that comes with these impending tasks. “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 further elaborated on the medium-term goals, placing significant emphasis on the Champions Trophy. “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, which again is something they’re desperate to win.”
The Dutch coach also did not overlook the long-term milestones, notably the tour to England in the summer of 2025 and the preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup. “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. 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.”
For Indian cricket, the focus is now clear and multifaceted: reinforcing their spin play while balancing their broader ambitions across formats and geographies. With a newly constructed coaching team and a slew of high-profile assignments on the horizon, Ten Doeschate’s remedial strategies will be closely watched as India endeavors to reclaim its prestigious standing as masters of spin.