Ryan Ten Doeschate Plans to Quit as India Assistant Coach: Report

A potential coaching shake-up is reportedly emerging within the Indian men's cricket team, with assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said to be considering stepping down over an unfulfilled role promised at the time of his appointment. According to a PTI report, the former Netherlands international has informed the Indian team management of his intention to leave, although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet taken a decision on whether to release him before the completion of his contract.

The report states that Ten Doeschate joined India's coaching staff after being assured that he would also serve as the team's fielding coach. However, T Dilip, who became India's fielding coach during Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach, continued in the role even after Gautam Gambhir took charge of the national team. As a result, Ten Doeschate has reportedly remained without a clearly defined specialist responsibility within the coaching setup despite serving as assistant coach for nearly two years.

According to the report, the situation became more frustrating after T Dilip, who was initially expected to leave the support staff following the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, was instead granted a one-year extension. The extension reportedly came after a senior Indian player recommended that Dilip be retained. The decision meant that the fielding coach's position remained occupied, leaving Ten Doeschate unable to assume the additional responsibilities he had allegedly been promised.

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A senior BCCI source quoted in the report said the current coaching structure already has clearly designated specialists, with Sitanshu Kotak overseeing batting, Morne Morkel handling fast bowling and Sairaj Bahutule working with the spinners, while head coach Gautam Gambhir also remains closely involved with the batting unit. The source claimed that Ten Doeschate's coaching expertise has not been fully utilised because he has not been assigned a dedicated domain within the support staff.

The same report added that the BCCI had originally planned to part ways with several members of the support staff after the 2025 Champions Trophy, including assistant coach Abhishek Nayar, strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai, masseur Arun Kanade and fielding coach T Dilip. However, Dilip's extension reportedly altered those plans and created the present overlap in responsibilities within the coaching group.

At present, the BCCI has not issued any official statement regarding the reported developments, and there has been no public confirmation from Ryan ten Doeschate or the Indian team management. If the reports prove accurate, the board may soon have to decide whether to retain both T Dilip and Ten Doeschate within Gautam Gambhir's support staff or restructure the coaching team ahead of India's upcoming international assignments.

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