India start as favourites vs Pakistan: Assistant coach on Asia Cup clash

4 months ago

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate believes the team go into their high-profile clash against Pakistan as favourites. The Men in Blue will take on their archrivals on September 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in what will be the second match of the tournament for both sides.

Transcript

00:00Ryan, my question is, you played one match over here, you had some assessment of the crack,

00:07is there a chance of any tweak in the line-up or good to go with the same team?

00:13And also a question about the batting order, 3-7, what kind of tweaks can we expect?

00:20Yeah, I don't think we gleaned too much information from the first game and even from the other games at the stadium so far,

00:26there hasn't been too much to take away from it.

00:29So, unlikely to make changes.

00:32I think the biggest information takeaway is probably the difference from when we played in the Champions Trophy,

00:38the wickets played a bit differently.

00:40But we feel the combination for the first game was a right set up.

00:44And I guess what you mean from 3-7, the batting position more than anything,

00:48obviously it wasn't revealed the other day with Sanju not batting.

00:51But the overriding principle is that we want versatile players who can A, play differently in different situations,

00:57but can also bat in different positions.

00:59And I think we're very lucky with Sanju and Aksar and even Hardik,

01:03you know, the guys who can bat anywhere from up the order all the way through to 7 or 8.

01:08So it will be part of our strategy to use that versatility.

01:12And when conditions are a little bit tough like we expect them to be, I think that can be an important strategy for an advantage.

01:24This Indian team is always backed by its fans. Their presence is felt across the globe wherever India plays.

01:30But this time around, their sentiments have been hurt given what has happened in our country.

01:35Do you think when they take to the field tomorrow, there have been calls for boycott,

01:40the sentiment of our people are going to weigh on their minds?

01:43Yes, I think it will. It's obviously a very sensitive issue.

01:47And I've got no doubt the players share the compassion and the feeling of the vast majority of the Indian public.

01:53Look, the Asia Cup was in limbo for a long period of time and we were just waiting.

01:59We didn't think we were going to be coming at one stage.

02:01But obviously, you know what the Indian government stance is in it.

02:05And now the team and particularly the players, you have to put those sentiments and the emotions behind you.

02:11And it's actually something we addressed in the team meeting today.

02:14So we're aware of people's feelings.

02:17But at the same time, we've got a guard and the guys get a chance to play for their country again tomorrow.

02:21And they'll be as professional and as focused as they can be given the circumstances.

02:25Ryan, during the Champions Trophy, you have been part of one India-Pakistan game.

02:30And now this is another game.

02:32Is there any mood different and preparation?

02:35Something different you notice as somebody who is not from subcontinent?

02:39Do you see India-Pakistan game preparation or something more inside the dressing room different?

02:44Any different from other matches?

02:45I'll be honest, no.

02:47I was expecting a lot more niggle at the Champions Trophy game.

02:51I didn't really feel that either.

02:53And certainly the preparation this week or the focus hasn't been any different to the preparation of any other important game.

03:01I think Pakistan have sort of started to come to terms with how they want to play T20 cricket.

03:06So it's going to be a slightly different challenge, say for maybe the last 24 months.

03:10But we want to focus on what we're doing and how we want to play is the most important thing for us,

03:15given that we have potential of playing Pakistan a couple of times in this tournament.

03:20And obviously in the next six months as well, there's going to be a World Cup.

03:23Again, it goes back to what we said about controlling those emotions and we want to prepare for every single game in the same manner.

03:30Coach, there seems to be a bit of mind games from the Pakistani camp.

03:35Recently Mike Hassan said that Mohamed Nawaz is the best spinner in the world when compared to Varun and Kuldeep.

03:41So how do you see that? And of course Varun and Kuldeep and Akshar in these conditions, with the ball gripping a bit with the kind of heat,

03:48do you think they will be the trump card for the Indian team in this game?

03:52I think spins are going to be very important in this competition.

03:55If anything, I don't think it's gripped as much as we anticipated and certainly not like it did earlier in the year when we were here.

04:02But spin in general has become a very important part of T20 cricket and both teams have a lot of spin on offer.

04:11And we certainly now, we feel about Varun, Akshar and Kuldeep.

04:15So everyone's entitled to their opinion and they can rank their players wherever they wish.

04:20Some of the star players are missing from Pakistan.

04:23And so have you had a look at these new players and what would make the difference?

04:29You know, two, three matches, have you observed them?

04:33Yeah, that's what I alluded to earlier.

04:35I think Pakistan have decided to change direction of how they play their cricket

04:40and that obviously affects the way they're set up in terms of personnel.

04:43And it's pretty obviously you referring to, you know, quality cricketers.

04:48But I think Pakistan want to go a different way.

04:50And of course, we've done lots of homework on the guys they brought in, you know, fairly inexperienced guys

04:55in the grand scheme of things, but probably more dangerous in terms of how they want to play.

05:00And we've got our plans and our strategies for attacking that tomorrow.

05:04Ryan, since winning the T20 World Cup, India have won 18 of the 21 T20 Internationals.

05:11Out of 13, they have won 10 against Pakistan. Powerful batting, powerful balling.

05:16You think, you reckon, India start as favourite tomorrow?

05:21Yeah, I mean, that short-term record is pretty incredible and we've been very consistent in how we've played.

05:27Obviously cricket at this level is about how you execute on the day.

05:31But yeah, being totally honest and, you know, looking at the recent form and how the teams have played,

05:37I would say India do start favourites tomorrow, but we'll be focused on the 120 balls with the bats

05:42and 120 balls on the bowl and the team that is more consistent over those 240 balls will be better.

05:48So we're under no illusion as to the task ahead and, you know, a big part of what we're trying to do

05:53and looking forward is to stay grounded and just focus on getting better, the individuals getting better every day.

05:58So, you know, form counts for very little when you come to competitions, regional competitions like this.

06:04Just briefly, moving away from the Pakistan game, obviously you had a big win against the UAE.

06:09Pakistan had a big win against Oman.

06:11One of the Omani boys was here yesterday and he was talking about how they can only get better

06:15if they play more against the established nations.

06:18But obviously the calendar being what it is, it is not possible for the main sides to play.

06:22Do you think it will make sense for maybe an India-ish side to go and play Oman or a Pakistani side?

06:28Will that sort of help in the development of the associates?

06:31Yeah, I think that's a great idea.

06:34You're spot on about the scheduling.

06:37Obviously the Indian team can't squeeze another game in and other international teams aren't far behind.

06:42I'd say the difference, the gap, you know, between the associates and the test teams is so big

06:50that there's actually a sort of middle layer between and India A or other international A teams could definitely fill that gap.

06:57It's a very different style of cricket that you see the test nations playing compared to a team like UAE,

07:04what they're facing on a daily basis.

07:05So that is a very nice idea, yeah.

07:07Ryan, you alluded to transpired in the team meeting today in terms of the sentiment.

07:14The sports field has forever been used as a sign of protest.

07:18Jack in 36, Jackie Robinson in 47, Tommy Smith and John Carlos in 68.

07:25I can keep giving you example after example.

07:28Any such thought using the sports field to place something on behalf of the people?

07:32You're spot on. You saw some great examples.

07:38I guess the other side of the argument is that you separate sports and politics

07:42and people have got different opinions on that.

07:45And hopefully the way we play can represent how the players feel about the country.

07:52And I understand the position and like I explained the sentiment,

07:57but we are following the direction of what the BCI and the Indian government have decided is right for the country at the moment.

India start as favourites vs Pakistan: Assistant coach on Asia Cup clash

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