India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, has raised concerns about the team’s declining performance against spin bowling, a domain where the Indian team once reigned supreme. The Dutchman attributed this downturn to a shift in focus towards excelling against high-quality fast bowling, particularly for overseas tours, which may have inadvertently weakened their innate prowess against spin. This issue became starkly evident in India’s recent ODI series against Sri Lanka, where a near full-strength Indian side lost 27 wickets to spin.
In an exclusive interview with TalkSport Cricket, ten Doeschate elaborated on the nuances behind this strategic oversight. “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 remarked. “I guess one of the challenges that I wasn’t expecting and kind of overlooked is the playing of spin.”
He expressed his eagerness to restore India’s former glory in handling 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.”
Under the new regime, ten Doeschate is part of a three-member assistant coaching panel spearheaded by head coach Gautam Gambhir. While Morne Morkel is expected to play a significant role in bolstering the bowling unit, the responsibility for addressing batting frailties rests on the shoulders of Abhishek Nayar and ten Doeschate. When asked about his approach to remedial action, the former Essex all-rounder was quick to stress that the solutions would not be overly technical. “I don’t think much of what we’re going to bring is technical knowledge to these guys,” he explained.
“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.”
The timing of the coaching staff’s entry into the Indian setup presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Having recently won the T20 World Cup, the team is gearing up for major tournaments like the World Test Championship (WTC) and the Champions Trophy. “It’s exciting and kind of daunting at the same time,” ten Doeschate 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.”
Beyond the immediate focus, the medium-term goal is to gear up for the Champions Trophy, a tournament India is keen to add to its accolades. “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,” ten Doeschate commented.
Looking ahead, ten Doeschate is also enthusiastic about the next World Test Championship cycle and the T20 World Cup in 2026. “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. 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.”
With a clear roadmap and an experienced supporting cast, Ryan ten Doeschate is optimistic about reigniting India’s erstwhile dominance against spin. The real test will be how quickly and effectively the team can adapt to the balanced demands of modern cricket while not losing sight of their traditional strengths. The journey might be fraught with challenges, but under his guidance, India aims to reclaim its status as the most proficient team against spin in world cricket.