Former Netherlands international, Ryan ten Doeschate was earlier appointed as the new assistant coach of the Indian cricket team as a part of head coach Gautam Gambhir's support staff.
Ahead of the India's 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, he was pictured in a training session with the players at Pallekele.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate with head coach Gautam Gambhir. 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/7xCu276bbN
— KnightRidersXtra (@KRxtra) July 26, 2024
Ten Doeschate, who was part of the support staff of the LA Knight Riders in the Major League Cricket in the USA joined up with the Indian squad on Thursday, July 25.
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Why did India head coach Gautam Gambhir include Ryan ten Doeschate as a part of his support staff?
Gautam Gambhir's working association with the new Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate goes back many years ago, when they were teammates at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The former Netherlands batsman, infact, had played under the captaincy of Gambhir at KKR for five seasons, between 2011 and 2015.
Moreover, Ten Doeschate was also involved with KKR as a part of their coaching setup in the 2024 IPL season, with Gambhir was team's mentor, when the team went to become champions for the third time.
Apart from Ten Doeschate, Gambhir has also picked Abhishek Nayar as the other assistant coach, who was also involved with the Kolkata franchise last season.
During a press conference ahead of the T20I series, Gambhir discussed about the nature of their roles as assistant coaches of the Indian team.
MORE: Gautam Gambhir - Ajit Agarkar press conference: Highlights and major points ahead of India's SL tour
Ten Doeschate and Nayar while primarily known for their batting, were also decent allrounders during their playing career. Therefore, Gambhir believes that both individuals will have a role to play in all departments.
"I have worked with people like Abhishek Nayar, Ryan Ten Doeschate very closely. In the last two months, especially in the IPL, I have enjoyed working with them. They are thorough professionals. Hope Ryan and Abhishek can have a successful stint. Hopefully, we can have a successful tenure as coaches. I am really looking forward to working with the rest of the other guys as well" Gambhir said.
"They (BCCI) have agreed to most of the things I have asked for. Abhishek and Ryan as assistant coaches are going to be the crux of the support staff. I personally feel they could be assistant coaches, who can involve themselves more in all three departments rather than just one. That’s the reason we now have two assistant coaches. As I said, we still have one month after the Sri Lanka tour. We will try and finalise after the Sri Lanka tour," he added.
According to Cricbuzz reports, former South Africa international, Morne Morkel, who has also been a part of KKR in the past, is a heavy favourite to be included in India's coaching setup as the bowling coach. Gambhir has worked with Morkel in the past, as a part of the Lucknow Super Giants franchise.
MORE: When will Morne Morkel join up with the Indian team as the new bowling coach?
Team India led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, will play the 1st T20I of the 3-match series at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, starting July 27.
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