India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, has expressed concerns about India’s recent struggles against spin bowling, attributing it to a shift in focus towards mastering fast bowling on overseas tours. Historically, India has been renowned for its adeptness in handling spin. However, the team faced a glaring deficiency in this area, highlighted by their loss of 27 wickets to spinners in the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka. Ten Doeschate believes addressing this issue is imperative for the team’s success moving forward.

In an interview with TalkSport Cricket, ten Doeschate elaborated on his observations. “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 asserted. He continued, “I guess one of the challenges that I wasn’t expecting and kind of overlooked is the playing of 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.”

Ten Doeschate, alongside two other assistant coaches, will work under the new head coach, Gautam Gambhir. While Morne Morkel is expected to significantly contribute to the bowling efforts, the onus of refining the team’s batting skills will be shared between Abhishek Nayar and ten Doeschate. The Dutchman emphasized that their focus will be more on mental aspects than technical drills. “I don’t think much of what we’re going to bring is technical knowledge to these guys,” he remarked. “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.

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. That’s going to be really important.”

This new coaching team’s journey coincides with a crucial phase for Indian cricket. Fresh off their victory as T20 world champions, India has its sights set on major upcoming tournaments, including the World Test Championship (WTC) and the Champions Trophy. Ten Doeschate acknowledged the dual nature of excitement and pressure in his new role. “It’s exciting and kind of daunting at the same time,” he confessed. “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.”

In addition to the WTC, the medium-term goal for the team is the Champions Trophy, with only three ODIs left in the preparation phase. This transition between formats is seen as a significant challenge. “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,” ten Doeschate explained. “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.”

Ten Doeschate is fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead and the expectations that come with them, especially given India’s recent success. “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,” he said. “It’s all the series you want to be involved in and all the challenges you want to come up against.”

As the new coaching team embarks on this journey, the focus on returning to India’s forte of conquering spin remains critical. Ten Doeschate’s insights and strategic direction will be pivotal in navigating this transitional phase and ensuring that India not only excels overseas but also regains its dominance against spin—ensuring a well-rounded and formidable team for upcoming global challenges.

By IPL Agent

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