India men's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate is reportedly preparing to step down from his role with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). If the reports are accurate, the ongoing three-match ODI series against England could be his final assignment with the national team.
Ten Doeschate joined the Indian coaching setup two years ago after being personally chosen by head coach Gautam Gambhir. The two have worked together before at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where Gambhir was the team mentor and ten Doeschate served as the fielding coach. Their strong working relationship played a key role in bringing him into the Indian team.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, ten Doeschate wants to leave the role for personal reasons, mainly to spend more time with his family. The report adds that his departure is expected to happen on good terms. However, Gambhir still has the authority to request that he stays if he believes his assistant remains important to the team's plans.
Although he was officially appointed as an assistant coach, ten Doeschate handled several responsibilities behind the scenes. Apart from working with the players, he often represented the coaching staff during media interactions and played an important role in the team's day-to-day operations.
Meanwhile, India's fielding coach T Dilip is also facing uncertainty over his future. Reports suggest that he could also leave the support staff after the England ODI series.
India Could Soon Be Looking for a New Assistant Coach
If ten Doeschate steps down, it would become the second major change in Gautam Gambhir's coaching team. Earlier, assistant coach Abhishek Nayar left the setup following India's disappointing Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign.
Gambhir is already under pressure after India's recent poor performances on the UK tour, with the BCCI reportedly reviewing the team's disappointing results during the tours of Ireland and England. As a result, every decision made by the coaching staff is likely to come under close attention.
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India's current support staff
At present, India's support staff includes batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule, fast bowling coach Morne Morkel, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate and fielding coach T Dilip. If the BCCI decides to appoint new members to the coaching group, several experienced candidates are available. However, Gautam Gambhir's opinion is expected to play a major role in selecting any new appointment.