Ryan ten Doeschate, assistant coach for India, feels that a change in focus on playing excellent fast bowling may have had the unintended consequence of decreasing returns against spin for a side that has a reputation for being strong against the turning ball. In the most recent ODI series against Sri Lanka, spin undid a nearly full-strength Indian team, costing them as many as 27 wickets. Ten Doeschate intends to help address the situation.

“The Indian mindset has become so driven to do well overseas that the focus has moved away from what was once their strength-playing spin,” Ten Doeschate said in an interview with TalkSport Cricket.

When ten Doeschate signed on to be one of India’s assistant coaches, he didn’t think batting against spin was something he would need to concentrate on. However, as the team prepares for a home season that will include five Test matches—two against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand—he is eager to take on the challenge.

“One of the challenges I wasn’t expecting and I kind of overlooked is the playing of spin by Indian batters,” Ten Doeschate said. “We got undone in Sri Lanka.”

“[We] were undone in Sri Lanka, and I think the mindset of the Indians has been such that they are so driven to do well overseas. I think the focus has moved to doing well in Australia and doing well in England, and we’ve kind of let playing spin, which was always the strength of the Indian team, fall back a little bit. So that’s one thing I’m looking forward to, helping get to that position where Indians are the best players of spin in the world again.”

Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach, has three assistant coaches, including Ten Doeschate. While Morne Morkel is anticipated to significantly contribute to the team’s bowling attack, Abhishek Nayar and ten Doeschate will share responsibilities for handling batting problems. The Dutchman believes that corrective work should not become unduly complex. “I don’t think much of what we’re going to bring is technical knowledge to these guys,” he stated.

“It’s more about mindsets, situational awareness, how we think they can control certain phases of the game. It’s about throwing ideas out there, de-briefing, and keeping the mental space really good. That’s going to be really important.”

The last three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in Sri Lanka saw India lose 27 wickets to spin, the most wickets any side has lost to this style of bowling in a three-match series. Captain Rohit Sharma stated that it was a problem that needed to be addressed after the series.