We aim to build strong core: Ryan Ten Doeschate

For assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, keeping players in a mentally safe zone is a non-negotiable in the team management’s effort to “build a strong core” ahead of two important years in Indian cricket. In this period, India will play several marquee events including the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia, the ICC Champions Trophy and a possible appearance in the World Test Championship Final in June.

“Yes, we want to build a strong core of players. With the Champions Trophy, Asia Cup (2025) and the World Cup (T20 WC 2026) coming up, we want to know where everyone stands in Indian cricket, and it’s good to see the depth that we have,” Doeschate said.

Doeschate then dived into the deeper meaning of having a wider pool of players to select from.

“There are guys who can fill multiple roles which are so important for balance depending on where we play. You look at someone like Riyan (Parag) who hasn’t batted much in this series. We’ve seen someone (Nitish Kumar Reddy) who can bat at 4-5 as well as being a finisher. So, it’s trying to fit as many of those pieces together as we can in these bilateral series,” he added.

But for this, Doeschate emphasised that the cricketers should be kept in the right zone mentally.