Ryan Ten Doeschate Highlights India’s Fingerspin Issues as Potential Game-Changer

The assistant coach of the Indian cricket team, Ryan ten Doeschate, believes his side needs proper plans to tackle spin in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. He said that while the batters can play their shots easily on flat wickets, they need to be more cautious on surfaces that offer extra turn and bounce.

"I think on better wickets, you won't see it [batters struggling against spin]. You can hit through the line with more confidence. But the point is that we need to have plans where the wickets do hold and the [longer] boundaries are there. We need to be able to have a game plan to deal with that threat." said Ryan ten Doeschate while talking to the reporters.

He then highlighted the India vs Pakistan match in which the majority of the overs were bowled by spinners. He said the numbers of that game are not convincing, as it showcases India’s struggle against fingerspin bowlers.

"I wouldn't say [there are struggles against] offspin, I'd say fingerspin [on the whole]. If you take the combined figures, I think Pakistan bowled 14 [17] overs of fingerspin in the last game, and off the top of my head, I want to say [they got] something like 4 for 78 or something like that [5 for 125]. So it's not great numbers [for India]." said Ryan ten Doeschate.

Ryan then spoke about India’s difficulties while batting in the middle overs. He said the team is facing challenges in this phase, as the other sides are effectively targeting their weaknesses.

"It's been a trend in this World Cup. In IPL or bilateral series, the pace of the innings carries through from powerplay. Across all games, particularly across Sri Lanka [at this World Cup], you get off the books quickly, and batting becomes difficult through the middle phase, and teams are getting a lot more clever now.” added Ryan ten Doeschate.