Ryan ten Doeschate, a former all-rounder for the Netherlands, was recently named India’s new assistant coach. His job is to aid Indian hitters in establishing their dominance against spin. Even though the Men in Blue have a history of being adept at managing spin, they have had difficulty, particularly in subcontinental conditions, something the recently hired coaching staff appears keen to rectify.
Ten Doeschate didn’t anticipate spin to be the main area of emphasis when he joined the coaching team of India. But the need became clear following India’s recent troubles against spinners in Sri Lanka, where they lost 27 wickets in a three-match ODI series.
“The way Indian batters use spin is one of the obstacles I wasn’t prepared for and kind of missed. We made mistakes in Sri Lanka. India has a mentality that makes them extremely driven to succeed abroad, Ten Doeschate.
The emphasis now is on succeeding in Australia and England: Ryan Ten Doeschate
The Dutchman, who is now working with Abhishek Nayar and Gautam Gambhir as part of a coaching group, is committed to restoring India’s self-assurance and ability to defeat spin bowling. His method, meanwhile, was more focused on strategic and psychological planning than on technical tweaks.
“The Indian team’s ability to play spin, which has always been a strength, has kind of fallen back a little bit as the focus has shifted to performing well in Australia and England. Reaching the point when Indians are once again the world’s finest spin players is something I’m looking forward to helping with. Technical expertise isn’t really what we’re going to deliver these guys, in my opinion. It’s more about attitudes, situational awareness, and our perceptions of their ability to influence particular game stages,” he went on.
With the World Test Championship (WTC) final and a home season that includes five Test matches against Bangladesh and New Zealand, Ryan ten Doeschate and the Indian team have a lot of work ahead of them.
It’s both thrilling and a little intimidating. What we’re hoping for is to qualify for the WTC final, which should happen in June. With ten Tests remaining, there’s a tremendous potential to play five in India [during the next few months] and five more in Australia [before the end of 2024],” he continued.
Ten Doeschate admitted that there was pressure, particularly playing for a successful team that had just won the T20 World Cup. Still, he seemed enthusiastic about the prospects that lay ahead, such as the Champions Trophy and upcoming visits to England and Australia.
“There is also the Champions Trophy [in February 2025] in the medium term. It will be really difficult to flip between the formats and get the team ready for that, which is again something they’re desperate to win, with only three ODIs remaining in the preparation phase,” the 44-year-old said.
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“Then, in the upcoming [WTC] cycle, the team will be prepared for the [2026] T20 World Cup during the wonderful visit to England in the summer of 2025. As a coach, it’s tempting to look forward to the next eighteen months, but it’s challenging to step into a team that has just returned from the [2024 T20] World Cup. It’s all the shows you want to watch and all the obstacles you want to overcome,” Ten Doeschate said in closing.
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