India Seeks to Overcome Death Over Challenges Against South Africa: Insights from ten Doeschate

India’s assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate, shared insights ahead of the series decider against South Africa, focusing on improving the team’s performance in the death overs. He acknowledged the challenges posed by wickets slowing down and new players taking time to settle, emphasizing the team’s efforts to address these issues and strategize better for the tail end of their innings.

Given the significant impact of dew so far, ten Doeschate proposed adjusting match timings as a possible solution, while recognizing the complexities involved, especially with broadcasting requirements. He noted, “The dew sets in at the start of the second inning and remains throughout. Starting the game two hours earlier might reduce this problem, but there are many considerations, particularly regarding broadcasting.”

At 45, ten Doeschate also reflected on the two-ball rule in ODIs, especially relevant when discussing dew. He pointed out that while one ball might get wetter, umpires have been accommodating with ball changes, albeit resulting in a harder ball that somewhat defeats the purpose of the single-ball idea.

In a lighter moment, he joked about India’s current luck with tosses, stating, “Statistically, we’ve won one in a million tosses so far. Doubling that would be quite a feat.”

Published on December 5, 2025.