Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said on Friday that India’s below-par performance in the recent Test series has created a sense of “desperation” within the team to clinch the ongoing ODI series against South Africa. India had lost the two-match Test series 0–2, and the ODI series is now evenly poised at 1–1 heading into the decider.
Speaking ahead of the crucial third ODI, ten Doeschate emphasised that although the current squad features a different group of players, each member understands the responsibility of representing India.
“It’s a very different personnel of players, but the guys are very aware of the responsibility of what they’re representing,” he said.
India won the first ODI in Ranchi by 17 runs, but South Africa bounced back with a four-wicket victory in Raipur to level the series.
“We always want to win, but when a few losses start stacking up and performances fall below our expectations, there is certainly a slight desperation from the series point of view,” he added.
Pressure is part of the job, says ten Doeschate
Despite acknowledging the heightened stakes, the former Dutch all-rounder stressed that the Indian team is well-accustomed to handling pressure.
“I don’t think pressure ever goes away for this team. In bilateral series, when the series is on the line, there is pressure in itself. We try to focus on the process—assessing what a good total is and ensuring the batting unit executes it,” he explained.
Dew plays a major role; early start won’t help
Ten Doeschate admitted the dew factor has significantly influenced both previous matches and could once again impact play on Saturday.
“The dew factor is so big here. It’s not our fault, but it’s our responsibility to find a way around it. I think we’re doing pretty well now when it comes to defending scores while bowling second,” he said.
He added that the venue’s small boundaries and high-scoring nature require careful planning, but the biggest challenge remains managing the huge disparity between batting first and batting second under heavy dew.
Asked whether the 1:30 pm start time helps negate the dew impact, ten Doeschate said the idea has merit but is ultimately impractical.
“The dew falls as soon as the second innings begins, which means it stays throughout. A different start time could reduce this effect by a couple of hours. There is a solution, but with broadcasting requirements, it becomes a futile conversation,” he noted.
India planning for extra runs in high-scoring conditions
Ten Doeschate revealed that the team has been actively preparing for conditions that demand higher scores.
“We actually tried to factor it into our batting. In the first game, we thought 320 was a strong total, but we adjusted our frame to 350 given how the ball comes onto the bat. It was a good effort to get that score,” he said.
He added that conversations within the team have revolved around maximising run-scoring opportunities despite challenging conditions.
“You always want more runs, and we’ve discussed how to maximise scoring. Sometimes the conditions make it tough, but the responsibility is to find ways in tough conditions,” he added.