Kolkata: On the eve of a virtual quarterfinal at Eden Gardens, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate urged his players to embrace the occasion rather than be burdened by it, backing their versatility and clarity of roles ahead of a must-win clash against West Indies.
“The team’s very prepared. These are professionals who live for these moments,” Ten Doeschate said, outlining how India have regrouped since their setback against South Africa. After time to reset in Chennai and a light training session in Kolkata, the emphasis has been on “our plans, our basics and making sure we’re ready to execute.”
India’s campaign has featured a fluid batting order, with players shifting positions according to match situations. Ten Doeschate described that flexibility as a strength rather than a gamble. “It’s a testament to the players that they adapted so well. We’ve always spoken about versatility and being able to play different roles in different circumstances,” he said, citing the Chennai match as a template.
“Tilak looked really good at five or six… for someone who’s been at three for most of the last 18 months, he did fantastically well,” he noted.
The Chennai innings — built on collective contributions rather than individual dominance — is the model India hope to replicate. “It wasn’t a scorecard dominated by anyone, but everyone chipped in. That’s our modus operandi,” he explained. “We quite like those 60, 30, 40 partnerships. No one went big and we still got to a big score.”
Against West Indies, India anticipate a high-intensity contest against one of the tournament’s deepest batting units. “There’s not many line-ups that can boast power down to number nine,” Ten Doeschate observed. “That old idea of containing in T20 cricket is gone — it’s a risk-reward game.”