Promises unfulfilled, Ryan ten Doeschate wants to quit India coaching job
Ryan ten Doeschate is keen to leave the Indian cricket team after the England tour. According to sources, he is unhappy that he never received the specialist fielding coach's role he was promised.
Unhappy with the lack of clarity surrounding his role, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate wants to step away from the national team setup after the ongoing white-ball tour of England. Sources told PTI that the former Netherlands captain is not satisfied with the responsibilities he has held over the past two years.
While the Indian Cricket Board is understood to be keen on retaining ten Doeschate beyond his current contract, the 45-year-old has expressed a desire to return to franchise cricket and has already held positive discussions with at least one Indian Premier League franchise.
WHY IS TEN DOESCHATE UNHAPPY?
The development comes at a time when the contracts of Gautam Gambhir's support staff are due for review following the England tour. While fielding coach T Dilip is unlikely to receive another extension after a difficult year, the BCCI had hoped to continue with both bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach ten Doeschate.
According to the report, ten Doeschate accepted the India job after receiving assurances that he would eventually take charge as the team's specialist fielding coach, a role that never materialised.
"You have (Sitanshu) Kotak as the batting coach and there's Gauti (Gambhir) himself to look after the batters. Morne (Morkel) is in charge of pacers and Sairaj (Bahutule) looks after the spinners. When Tendo was brought on board, he was promised the fielding coach's job," a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Instead, T Dilip continued in the role after receiving a one-year extension, leaving ten Doeschate without a clearly defined area of responsibility.
"Dilip was supposed to be removed along with Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach), Soham Desai (S&C coach) and Arun Kanade (masseuse) after the 2025 Champions Trophy.
"However, for Dilip, a strong recommendation came from a senior player and Dilip got a one-year extension. Tendo actually didn't have any specific domain role. He is a fantastic coach, who hasn't been used because Dilip is there," the source added.
FRESH CHALLENGE FOR GAMBHIR
The report adds that it will now fall on head coach Gautam Gambhir to convince ten Doeschate to remain with the Indian team, having personally recommended him after the pair worked together at Kolkata Knight Riders.
Ten Doeschate joined the Indian coaching setup soon after Gambhir took charge and has largely worked behind the scenes as an all-round assistant. However, without a specialist portfolio, his role has reportedly been limited despite being highly regarded within coaching circles.
His potential departure would leave Gambhir with another hole to fill in his support staff, especially if T Dilip is also let go after the England tour.
FIELDING UNDER SCRUTINY
India's fielding standards have come under intense criticism over the past year, with several costly lapses in major tournaments. The issue resurfaced during the recently concluded T20I tour of the United Kingdom, where India struggled badly in the field while slumping to a 0-6 record across the Ireland and England series.
The BCCI is expected to finalise the future of the support staff ahead of India's tour of Sri Lanka. If ten Doeschate does decide to leave, Gambhir and the board could be forced to rethink their plans for the coaching staff, especially with T Dilip's future also uncertain.
Unhappy with the lack of clarity surrounding his role, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate wants to step away from the national team setup after the ongoing white-ball tour of England. Sources told PTI that the former Netherlands captain is not satisfied with the responsibilities he has held over the past two years.
While the Indian Cricket Board is understood to be keen on retaining ten Doeschate beyond his current contract, the 45-year-old has expressed a desire to return to franchise cricket and has already held positive discussions with at least one Indian Premier League franchise.
WHY IS TEN DOESCHATE UNHAPPY?
The development comes at a time when the contracts of Gautam Gambhir's support staff are due for review following the England tour. While fielding coach T Dilip is unlikely to receive another extension after a difficult year, the BCCI had hoped to continue with both bowling coach Morne Morkel and assistant coach ten Doeschate.
According to the report, ten Doeschate accepted the India job after receiving assurances that he would eventually take charge as the team's specialist fielding coach, a role that never materialised.
"You have (Sitanshu) Kotak as the batting coach and there's Gauti (Gambhir) himself to look after the batters. Morne (Morkel) is in charge of pacers and Sairaj (Bahutule) looks after the spinners. When Tendo was brought on board, he was promised the fielding coach's job," a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Instead, T Dilip continued in the role after receiving a one-year extension, leaving ten Doeschate without a clearly defined area of responsibility.
"Dilip was supposed to be removed along with Abhishek Nayar (assistant coach), Soham Desai (S&C coach) and Arun Kanade (masseuse) after the 2025 Champions Trophy.
"However, for Dilip, a strong recommendation came from a senior player and Dilip got a one-year extension. Tendo actually didn't have any specific domain role. He is a fantastic coach, who hasn't been used because Dilip is there," the source added.
FRESH CHALLENGE FOR GAMBHIR
The report adds that it will now fall on head coach Gautam Gambhir to convince ten Doeschate to remain with the Indian team, having personally recommended him after the pair worked together at Kolkata Knight Riders.
Ten Doeschate joined the Indian coaching setup soon after Gambhir took charge and has largely worked behind the scenes as an all-round assistant. However, without a specialist portfolio, his role has reportedly been limited despite being highly regarded within coaching circles.
His potential departure would leave Gambhir with another hole to fill in his support staff, especially if T Dilip is also let go after the England tour.
FIELDING UNDER SCRUTINY
India's fielding standards have come under intense criticism over the past year, with several costly lapses in major tournaments. The issue resurfaced during the recently concluded T20I tour of the United Kingdom, where India struggled badly in the field while slumping to a 0-6 record across the Ireland and England series.
The BCCI is expected to finalise the future of the support staff ahead of India's tour of Sri Lanka. If ten Doeschate does decide to leave, Gambhir and the board could be forced to rethink their plans for the coaching staff, especially with T Dilip's future also uncertain.
