Care Beyond Cure
India's emergence as a healthcare destination for South Asia is often measured in numbers: foreign patients treated, hospitals accredited, surgeries performed and revenues earned.
India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Thursday provided an encouraging update on pacer Mohammed Siraj’s fitness ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, while also revealing that the team management is still weighing its spin-bowling combination for the match starting in New Chandigarh on Saturday.
India have had only a five-day gap between the end of IPL 2026 and the Test, and the team management is still finalising its bowling combination, particularly the spin department in the absence of the rested Ravindra Jadeja.
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“Siraj bowled yesterday, he looked absolutely fine. It’s been great having some fresh faces around. Look, I think the chance of both of them playing in the test are probably pretty small. We haven’t finalised the combination but I would imagine Kuldeep will play, Washi will play and then one of those two will play.
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“Also, you’ve got seven guys in the squad from GT who played an uphill final five days ago. So, it’s just been good having fresh faces and our main job now is to freshen the guys up and get them ready for a Test match starting in a couple of days,” said ten Doeschate ahead of the Test.
Pant remains a leader despite losing vice-captaincy
The former Dutch international also spoke about Rishabh Pant’s role in the team after he was removed as vice-captain, insisting that the wicketkeeper-batter remains an important figure in the dressing room.
“I don’t think you need a formal title to be a leader in a lead set-up like this. I think Rishabh understands that and I think he’s committed to being a good role model and a senior player.
I actually heard him and Gauti (head coach Gautam Gambhir) having a chat around that yesterday – how you want to conduct yourself as a senior player extends to your communication but also how you’re going to play. With Rishabh’s brilliance, we don’t want to take away all the stuff that he does,” he said.
“Occasionally, if he can adjust his game to play the situation slightly more, I think that’s something you’ll see him work on. But he’s been in great spirits again. He’s always one of those guys who’s happy and cheerful and drives the spirit in the team.
“You’ve got no complaints from him. You wouldn’t even notice that his role in the leadership structure has changed. So, no concerns about Rishabh and I can’t wait to see him back again,” he added.
Number three spot still under discussion
India are yet to settle on a long-term number three in Tests, a position that has seen multiple candidates since Cheteshwar Pujara’s exit. Ten Doeschate admitted the constant chopping and changing has not helped but suggested the team now wants to back one player for an extended period.
“There’s been a lot of changes in that spot and that’s not ideal. I think you need to look at the incumbents for that role and maybe stick with someone. It’s a difficult and very important position to bat. Dev (Devdutt Padikkal) comes in with a ton of runs in domestic cricket across all the formats.
“Obviously, Sai (Sudharsan) had a nice IPL with Gujarat. So they’re both in good form. I think whoever plays, they’ll be given a bit of rope. It’s quite difficult with one Test match now and then we don’t play a Test match for another two months and then you play two Test matches and then you don’t play for a while. So we need to factor that in.
“But I think the main point around there is we want to make a decision and then trust that person to grow into the role and ideally quickly because where we find ourselves in the WTC table, it’s obviously we don’t have time to bet in. That’s probably something we could have done better leading up to this, is nailing down that number three spot,” he said.
‘Detoxing’ players from white-ball habits
Ten Doeschate said the coaching staff’s biggest challenge has been helping players transition from the aggressive mindset of T20 cricket back to Test-match cricket.
“I don’t think good or bad is worth reflecting on. It’s certainly a challenge. But like I’ve said before, I’ve never seen an Indian cricketer moan or defer or not tackle head-on what they’re asked and required to do. It’s not ideal – it’s a good test of mental ability and also technical and tactical ability,” Doeschate said.
“Like I say, you’re playing an IPL final five days ago at night time, and now you’ve got to come and start a test match early in the morning at 34, 35 degrees. So, just another challenge on the road and the guys will take it on like they always do.”
He added that the focus has been on helping players return to red-ball basics.
“Our job is just to prepare the players for what’s ahead of them. Sleep cycle is probably top of that list and that’s been addressed. The players are acutely aware of what’s required and the change in conditions.
“But I guess from a white to red ball perspective or IPL to Test match cricket, it is really detoxing them and that’s what these three days have been. You want to make sure guys are making decisions based on where the ball’s pitched. You want to make a few technical tweaks on how you set up, maybe, and how you keep your bat shape and all those sort of things.
“The last two days and obviously today and tomorrow have been all about that. Just detoxing, guys, make sure that those habits that are required to be successful in white ball cricket are put to bed and they focus on playing proper Test cricket again,” he further said.
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