India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has brought to light a fascinating aspect of the game, attributing the team’s recent difficulties against spin bowling to a shift in their collective mindset. According to ten Doeschate, India’s contemporary focus on excelling in foreign conditions against high-quality fast bowling may have inadvertently led to a decline in their traditional prowess against spin. This issue came to the forefront during the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka, where a near full-strength Indian team faltered noticeably, losing as many as 27 wickets to spin. Ten Doeschate is now on a mission to amend this critical area of the game, an endeavor he’s keen to start working on immediately.
“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,” ten Doeschate remarked during an interview with TalkSport Cricket. “I guess one of the challenges that I wasn’t expecting and kind of overlooked is the playing of spin.”
He expounded on this thought, acknowledging that Indians have developed a fervent drive to perform well in countries like Australia and England, which has led them to prioritize mastering fast bowling over maintaining their edge against 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 is part of a revamped coaching setup led by newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir. The support team also includes former South African fast bowler Morne Morkel, who is expected to contribute significantly to the bowling department, and Abhishek Nayar, who will work alongside ten Doeschate to address the batting challenges. The Dutchman stressed that much of the remedial work would not be overly technical but rather focused on the psychological and strategic aspects of the game.
“We’re not going to bring much in the way of technical knowledge to these guys,” he noted. “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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This multifaceted coaching team takes charge at a crucial juncture in Indian cricket. Fresh off a triumphant T20 World Cup victory, India has set its sights on securing further accolades with major objectives like the World Test Championship (WTC) and the Champions Trophy on the horizon. Ten Doeschate views this dual responsibility as both exhilarating and daunting.
“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.”
In the medium term, the Champions Trophy looms large on the calendar. However, the preparation phase consists of only three ODIs, posing another significant challenge in switching formats and adequately readying the team. “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.”
Looking further ahead, the following WTC cycle anticipates a compelling tour to England in the summer of 2025, while preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup will be another pivotal task for the coaching staff. Ten Doeschate expresses a mix of awe and enthusiasm for the forthcoming schedule. “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.”
All eyes will be on Ten Doeschate and his colleagues as they navigate this intricate period, striving not only to reinforce India’s batting against spin but also to maintain their recent success and achieve the lofty goals that lie ahead.