There’s a little bit of disbelief: Ten Doeschate after India’s maiden series loss to Ireland

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted the team’s 0-2 T20I series defeat to Ireland was difficult to digest but said it exposed an important lesson: the need to adapt much quicker to unfamiliar conditions.

The defeat ended India’s 16-series unbeaten run in T20Is and came after the team had recently celebrated title wins in the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy. Ten Doeschate said the players were disappointed but credited Ireland for executing their plans better.

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“There’s a little bit of disbelief. It’s also very hard to be critical of guys who have just won a World Cup. We’ve been outdone or outsmarted by a team who just did the basics very well,” ten Doeschate said.

“So firstly, credit to Ireland, and secondly the learnings for us in terms of being able to adapt to different conditions. That’s probably the biggest takeaway from this. The guys really know how to play in India. This is a good lesson in the fact that we’re going to have to adapt and play slightly differently when we go to different countries and play against different teams.”

He felt the conditions in Belfast, particularly the wind and large square boundaries, played a major role in India’s struggles.

“That was essentially our undoing. It’s things we spoke about before, but we just didn’t address it well enough out in the middle. I think the big thing was the wind,” he said.

“Again, absolutely no excuses, but when presented with a different challenge we have to find solutions of playing in a different manner, in a better manner. I thought Ireland did that very well with the ball. They never let us hit straight. In two matches, I think we hit two straight sixes. They were both off the spinner. They just did the basics really well and we couldn’t combat that.

“We’re probably too used to a sort of a tempo and style where you can hit sixes more freely. I think this will be the case when you go to England as well… we’re going to have to adapt and be a lot smarter about how we’d like to play if we’re going to get wins there,” he added.

Ten Doeschate said India had specifically discussed avoiding hitting towards the larger square boundaries before the second game and felt the bowlers responded well, but the batters failed to adjust.

“That was the central focus of our discussion, particularly for the second game,” he said. “I thought we adjusted really well as a bowling unit today… We need to learn from that. We need to adapt quicker. It is something we spoke about but, again, without being overcritical, we want the boys to make those adjustments a lot quicker.”

At the same time, he stressed that the team would not move away from its aggressive approach.
“It’s been a strong part of the team’s identity over the last two years… that we really try to dominate the powerplay,” he said.

“It’s easy to say sit around, but if you never swing, you’re never going to hit a six. We just want to take better options and give ourselves a better chance of dominating the powerplay.”

Having represented the Netherlands during his playing career, ten Doeschate understands the challenges faced by smaller cricketing nations. Although Ireland are now a Full Member they are yet to get enough opportunities at the highest level. Doeschate believes such victories could play a significant role in their growth and confidence.

“I thought the Irish were fantastic over both days… I’m pretty chuffed for them. It’s obviously super disappointing to lose, but to see them make progress like that and just win by making the most of what they have is very impressive, and we take our hats off to them,” he said.

Vaibhav must wait despite being ready: ten Doeschate

Ten Doeschate believes teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is ready for international cricket but insisted the 15-year-old will have to earn his place like everyone else and wait for his opportunity.

Sooryavanshi earned his maiden India call-up after a sensational IPL 2026 campaign, where he finished as Player of the Tournament with 776 runs in 16 innings at a staggering strike rate of 237.30. While selectors felt his performances demanded immediate recognition, the team management has resisted making changes despite India’s shock T20I series defeat to Ireland.

The former Dutch international said India remain committed to backing the players already in the side, even though opener Sanju Samson has registered golden ducks in both matches of the series.

“He’s absolutely ready to play international cricket, there’s no doubt about that,” ten Doeschate said when asked how close Sooryavanshi was to making his debut. “But also, I think it’s not a question to say you can leave Sanju Samson out. A guy who went a long way to winning India the World Cup three months ago. A guy who’s had a fairly good IPL [Samson scored two hundreds for Chennai Super Kings].

“It’s important in terms of giving players confidence, and the message we’re sending to players. We want to give guys a long run in the team. So, you know, as ready as Vaibhav is and as excited as we are and you are to see him play, he’s going to have to go through the same process as everyone else and, you know, bide his time and wait. But certainly no questions about how good he is and how ready he is.”

Sooryavanshi has also been picked for the upcoming five-match series in England beginning on Wednesday, followed by the Asian Games.