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Gambhir wants Ryan ten Doeschate to be part of India's new coaching staff: Report
Follow UsThe former Netherlands all-rounder recently worked with Gambhir at the Kolkata Knight Riders
India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir wants Ryan ten Doeschate to be part of the team's backroom staff, Cricbuzz reported on July 11 (Thursday). The former Netherlands all-rounder recently worked with Gambhir at the Kolkata Knight Riders, serving as the team's fielding coach in the championship-winning campaign.
Ten Doeschate is also part of the supporting staff of KKR's subsidiaries in the Caribbean Premier League, Major League Cricket and ILT20. Gambhir has already advocated for Abhishek Nayar and the former India all-rounder is almost certain to join the Indian team as an assistant coach, a role similar to the one he wants ten Doeschate for.
In a video shot at a KKR function during the IPL 2024, Gambhir said: "When I talk about selflessness, I have never said this in 42 years of my career. And I wanted to say this. The greatest team man I ever played with, the most selfless human being, someone I can take a bullet for, someone who I can trust for life.
"I can tell you this because in 2011, my first game as a KKR captain, we only had four overseas (players) available. And this man had a fabulous 50-over World Cup. And we went in that game with only three overseas players. He was carrying drinks in that game with no disappointment on his face. He taught me selflessness. Ryan ten Doeschate (sic)."
It’s not a secret that the BCCI prefer Indian coaches, so it will be interesting to see how they react to this demand of Gambhir who has requested a free hand in managing the team. The BCCI might not prefer having two assistant coaches for a national team. They could give Nayar the batting coach role and make ten Doeschate the assistant coach.
T Dilip, who served as the fielding coach under outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid, is likely to be retained. As far as the bowling coach is concerned, the names of Lakshmipathy Balaji and Vinay Kumar have been doing the rounds, but it is believed that the BCCI is seeking a higher-profile candidate who would mentor and mould the upcoming crop of fast bowlers.
Gambhir and his support staff will take charge of the side from the Sri Lanka tour, consisting of three T20 Internationals (T20I) and as many One-Day Internationals (ODI), starting July 27.
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