This topic was emphasised by assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate prior to Sunday’s Asia Cup match in Delhi. India is aware of the feelings around the high-stakes match but has not prepared in any way beyond their regular match procedures for Pakistan.
India got off to a commanding start to their continental campaign, defeating the UAE by chasing down a small target of 58 runs in just 4.3 overs. This victory greatly increased their net run-rate (NRR). On September 12, however, Pakistan opened the scoring with a decisive 93-run victory over Oman. When the bitter rivals square off in the group stage, it is sure to be an exciting match because neither team has lost yet.
It’s a delicate subject, and I have no doubt that the players feel the same sympathy and concern as the great majority of Indians. We were just waiting while the Asia Cup was in limbo for a long time.
At one point, we weren’t expecting to arrive,” Ryan ten Doeschate remarked.
“The squad, and especially the players, must now set aside their feelings and emotions in light of the Indian government’s position. We talked about that in today’s team meeting. We understand people’s emotions, but we also have to go out and give the boys a chance to represent their country. They will be as focused and professional as they can be under the circumstances, he continued.
Ryan ten Doeschate presented head coach Gautam Gambhir’s advice to remain focused on the work at hand while outlining the team’s strategy. He also acknowledged that the administration didn’t think it was necessary to protect the players from the outside commotion, believing they could manage the commotion around the well-known match.
“The most annoying aspect was having to wait to find out if this [Asia Cup] will take place. We attempted to get on with things as soon as we were certain that we would be present and playing. As I mentioned, we haven’t prepared any differently for this game in particular, but we are clearly conscious of the thoughts and strong reactions,” Ryan ten Doeschate remarked.
Gauti’s advice to be emotionless when dealing with the cricket side of things and to not worry about matters beyond our control has come across as quite professional. I’m confident the men are sufficiently professional. People’s perceptions of the entire scenario [geopolitical tensions] vary, but the message has been to concentrate on cricket and try to concentrate on the one game tomorrow,” he continued.
While acknowledging the necessity to remain aware of Pakistan’s strategy as a youthful team keen to play in a different manner, Ryan ten Doeschate clarified that India’s procedures are still the same as those of any other game.
“To tell the truth, no. A lot more niggling was what I was anticipating during the Champions Trophy game. That wasn’t truly how I felt either. The assistant coach acknowledged that this week’s preparation and effort were no different from those for any other significant game.
It will be a somewhat different task than perhaps the previous 24 months since Pakistan has begun to decide how they want to play T20 cricket. The most important thing for us, though, is to concentrate on our actions and our preferred style of play, especially since we could play Pakistan a few times in this tournament and the World Cup is clearly coming up in the next six months. We want to prepare for every game in the same way, which brings us full circle to our previous statement about managing those emotions,” he stated.
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