Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said the Indian team was always mentally prepared to face Pakistan in the T20 World Cup and the recent confirmation of their participation has only strengthened their focus on cricket.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate says adding Sanju Samson to the top order is under discussion after the SA loss, reveals Abhishek's food poisoning battle.
Now that the suspense is over, India batter Tilak Varma on Wednesday said the team is excited for the high-pressure game against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup on February 15.
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate highlights the team's challenges against finger spin and the predictability of their left-handed top order as they prepare for the T20 World Cup Super 8s.
India opener Abhishek Sharma's availability for Thursday's match against Namibia is uncertain because of a stomach bug.
'...and maybe just being a little bit short on cricket leading into the series.'
Ten Doeschate admitted that, in hindsight, India would have preferred playing a third spinner instead of Reddy, given how effectively New Zealand's spinners exploited the conditions.
'I mean, KL Rahul is certainly good enough to be a number five.'
India defend the decision to drop Axar Patel for Washington Sundar against South Africa, calling it a tactical call based on powerplay match-ups.
In this rivalry, numbers fade and national pride takes centre stage.
The Namibia match could be a God-sent opportunity for an out-of-form Sanju Samson to get into run-scoring mode after a string of failures that saw him lose his place to Ishan Kishan, who is going through a purple patch.
India's young fast-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy should be persisted with and the cricket fraternity must not rush to pass judgement, former players Aakash Chopra, Robin Uthappa, and Manoj Tiwary said on Thursday.
'We are fully focused on this series. Every series is important. Individually for these players, there's a lot at stake.'
Virat Kohli's batting a plus but lots of areas need improvement, says Shubman Gill
Washington is learning about batting: Doeschate, as all-rounder focusses on big-hitting at nets
Nitish Reddy released from India squad for India A one day series
India's players lauded batting maestro Virat Kohli after his scintillating century guided India to a 17-run win over South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi on Sunday.
There is a slight desperation to win ODI series after below par Test outing: Ten Doeschate
Shubman Gill has been guilty of taking too much load on himself since his T20 comeback and the Indian team wants him to bat as freely as he does in the IPL, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
The second and final Test starts in Guwahati from Saturday with India trailing 0-1 after the defeat on a challenging Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata.
India's strategy of playing two fast bowlers, one pace bowling all-rounder, and three spinners could possibly come in handy on this surface.
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill spoke on the team dinner hosted by head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday
'But I would say given the importance of this series and given the conditions we think we are going to face, he (Nitish Kumar Reddy) might miss out in this Test this week.'
It remains to be seen if the selectors pick Jasprit Bumrah for both Tests considering that there is only is a three day gap between the Asia Cup final and the first Test against the West Indies.
India set to remain unchanged as team wants Reddy to settle in all-round role
Shubman Gill backed young No. 3 Sai Sudharsan to come good, insisting that the team must look at 'potential, not just numbers'.
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
Armed with a potent spin attack, taking on South Africa seems like competing against a "subcontinent team", Ten Doeschate said, admitting that they need to get better at negotiating the challenge posed by tweakers.
India's awe-inspiring batting depth will face a stern test against South Africa's quality spin attack in the first Test, starting in Kolkata on Friday.
The final Test begins on Friday in New Delhi, and the Shubman Gill-led side is expected to maintain their winning combination as they look to wrap up the home series.
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate is extremely proud of a young team which didn't lose its mind despite Pakistan players indulged in controversial over-the-top celebrations and uttering not so respectable words during the Asia Cup Super 4s game last Sunday.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
And ahead of the 4th Test, some members of the Indian team went all out at a gym training session.
Gautam Gambhir will join the Indian squad on Tuesday, three days before the start of the first Test against England at Leeds.
Mike Hesson is free to rank Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz as high as he wants but India know where their spinners are placed in the world order.
With WI Tests starting next week, 25 overs in Asia Cup is good build-up for Bumrah: Doeschate
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
Sai knows there's competition but he has captain's backing: Ryan ten Doeschate
'Nitish is our premium batting all-rounder at the moment. So I would say it's a very good chance to play this Test.'
Arshdeep Singh suffers injury during practice ahead of Manchester Test.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances