New India Assistant Coach Identifies Shortcoming in Rohit Sharma
Overseas Affects Spin Play
Indian cricket team assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has acknowledged that the team’s desire to perform well overseas has compromised their ability to play spin, a traditional strength of Indian batsmen. This was evident in their recent 0-2 ODI series loss to Sri Lanka, where they lost 27 wickets to spinners.
Focus Shifts to Playing Spin
Doeschate’s immediate task is to help the team regain their proficiency in playing spin, especially with five Test matches at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand scheduled for September and October. He believes that playing spin is more about mental preparation than technical changes.
Mental Shift Required
“The focus has moved to doing well in Australia and England. We’ve kind of let playing spin, which was always a strength of the Indian team, fall back a little bit,” Doeschate said. “That’s one thing I’m looking forward to helping with, getting to that position where Indians are the best players of spin in the world again.”
Upcoming Challenges
India faces a busy schedule with the Champions Trophy in February 2025 and the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June 2025. Doeschate emphasized the importance of qualifying for the WTC final and using the 10 Tests scheduled to cement their position.
Daunting Task
Doeschate acknowledged that joining the Indian cricketing establishment after their T20 World Cup win was daunting, but he is excited about the challenges ahead. “In terms of what’s ahead of us 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.”
