Want to try fresh faces for the last game: India’s assistant coach Ten Doeschate

Reflecting on India’s broader approach, the Dutchman emphasised the importance of pushing boundaries.

Hyderabad: Ryan Ten Doeschate, India’s assistant coach, expressed the team’s strategic focus heading into the final T20I against Bangladesh in Hyderabad on Saturday. With the series already won, Ten Doeschate confirmed that India aim to give playing opportunities to new players. “We have a lot of IPL-experienced players and want to give them more international exposure, initially the plan was to win the series and try a few new faces for the last game,” he said, mentioning Harshit Rana likely to be picked for the last game.

Reflecting on India’s broader approach, the Dutchman emphasised the importance of pushing boundaries. “In both Tests and T20s, we’ve tried to push the limit of what we can do as a team. We have the quality, and it’s about giving the team the belief to do it again and again,” he added. He highlighted players like Sanju Samson, who gave India quick starts, noting that “the message is clear – we want the players to push their game and prepare for the big moments coming up in the next 18 months.”

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He also explained the rationale behind player selection. “Players like Nitish were picked after emerging from last season’s IPL. With the Champions Trophy coming up, we want to test our squad depth and see where these players stand.”

‘India best team in world’

Nic Pothas, the assistant coach of the Bangladesh cricket team, shared his insights ahead of their final T20I against India, emphasising the significance of playing against the top-ranked team. “We are playing India, which is the best team in the world. We approach every game to win, but it’s important to review and be realistic. Touring India has been a valuable learning experience, as playing against them shows where we need to improve,” Pothas said.

Reflecting on Bangladesh’s batting, Pothas admitted they “underperformed” and fell short of their target scores in the previous games. “We should have scored 170 or 180 runs in those batting conditions,” he acknowledged but credited India for capitalising on every opportunity, which Bangladesh failed to do.