India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, has voiced his concerns regarding the team’s diminishing prowess in playing spin, attributing the downturn to a shifting focus towards mastering fast bowling abroad. Historically renowned for their adeptness against turning deliveries, India found themselves in an unfamiliar predicament during the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka, where a near full-strength squad succumbed to spin, losing 27 wickets in the process. Ten Doeschate is determined to address this issue and restore India’s dominance against spin bowlers.
In an exclusive 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,” ten Doeschate stated. “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.”
Broadly speaking, ten Doeschate underscores the importance of not just focusing on technical corrections but also reshaping the mental approach towards spin. Ten Doeschate, who is one of three assistant coaches under the newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir, noted that remedial efforts would not delve deeply into technicalities but stress mental and situational awareness. “I don’t think much of what we’re going to bring is technical knowledge to these guys,” he emphasized. “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 timing of this important intervention by ten Doeschate and his fellow coaching staff comes at a pivotal moment for Indian cricket. The team has recently clinched the T20 World Cup, raising expectations for upcoming tournaments such as the World Test Championship and the Champions Trophy. Ten Doeschate expressed mixed feelings about this juncture, stating, “It’s exciting and kind of daunting at the same time. 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, “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, India’s schedule is packed with high-stakes assignments. “Then in the next [WTC] cycle, the tour to England in the summer of 2025 is going to be fantastic and then prepping the team for the [2026] T20 World Cup,” ten Doeschate added. “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.”
Ten Doeschate’s pragmatic yet optimistic outlook serves as a blend of constructive criticism and hope. It’s evident that the focus is not just on immediate improvements but on long-term strategies that emphasize mental fortitude and situational adaptability. This dual approach aims to make India a formidable force against both spin and pace, ensuring that they are well-rounded and equipped to dominate in diverse conditions, whether at home or on foreign soil. Only time will tell if ten Doeschate’s debut stint as a coach will yield the desired results, but with his resolute approach, Indian cricket fans have much to anticipate in the coming months.