Ten Doeschate Says India Must Accept Underperformance In Overseas Conditions To Improve
Ten Doeschate calls for improvement in overseas conditions.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has admitted that the country's T20 team must accept that it has been underperforming in overseas conditions and improve its ability to adapt quickly to different playing environments. His comments came after India suffered another disappointing result on their England tour, losing the fourth T20 International by nine wickets in Bristol to concede the five-match series.
The defeat followed India's earlier 0-2 series loss against Ireland and continued a difficult phase for the reigning T20 world champions outside home conditions. Under new captain Shreyas Iyer, India struggled against England, who chased down a target of 159 with ease to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
Speaking after the match, ten Doeschate said the biggest challenge for the team was not just technical improvement but developing the right mindset to perform in unfamiliar conditions. He said adaptability had been discussed repeatedly within the team, but players now needed to understand the actual process required to adjust to different pitches, weather conditions and match situations. "We have spoken so much about adaptability, it's easy to say we need to adapt, it's easy to say but really it's a point now where we need to understand the process, what is needed to make those adaptations," ten Doeschate said at the post-match press conference.
The former Netherlands international stressed that India needed to acknowledge their current shortcomings rather than avoid difficult conversations. According to him, accepting that the team has not performed at its best overseas would be the first step towards improvement. "Psychologically and mentally the challenge for the group is to accept the fact that we are underachieving in foreign conditions and tell the players there is a big prize two years down the line in Australia," he said. Ten Doeschate pointed towards the importance of building a team capable of succeeding across different venues around the world.
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He questioned whether India wanted to be known only for dominating batting-friendly conditions at home or whether they wanted to become a side capable of winning in challenging overseas environments. "Do we want to be a team that smashes 250 in India and looks great hitting 80m six at Eden Gardens or do you want to come to places like Manchester, Southampton where things are slightly different and further down the line the MCG," he said. He added that the team's long-term goal should be to develop the mentality required to excel in varied conditions, particularly with major tournaments in Australia ahead.
He said players needed to take ownership of making necessary adjustments rather than relying only on natural ability. Ten Doeschate also highlighted Shreyas Iyer's contribution during the difficult series, pointing out that the India captain has been the only consistent run-scorer on the tour. Iyer's unbeaten 80 in the fourth T20I helped India post 158 for seven, but his effort was overshadowed by England's dominant chase.
The assistant coach's comments come as India look to rebuild confidence following a disappointing overseas run. With the final T20I scheduled in Southampton, the team will aim to avoid a clean sweep while addressing the larger concerns surrounding adaptability, consistency and performance away from home.
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