According to India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, the team’s batsmen need to be prepared with concrete strategies for dealing with difficult conditions, particularly non-flat pitches and grounds with extended boundaries. He emphasized that smart adjustments will be key if India is to progress through the Super 8 rounds of the T20 World Cup without any hitches when the tournament begins on Saturday, February 21.

In an interview with select journalists following India’s victory over the Netherlands in their last league encounter, ten Doeschate acknowledged that, despite being the favorites in the tournament, the team is yet to find a well-rounded performance.

With India’s opening trio of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Tilak Varma being left-handers, Ten Doeschate revealed that it has slightly helped the opposing teams to decide on their bowling plans.

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The opposing teams have been using off-spinners in the power play to restrict India’s opening trio. Abhishek Sharma, who was in top form not so long ago, has not yet scored a run in the tournament. On Wednesday, Netherlands off-spinner Aryan Dutt bowled three overs in the power play and removed both Abhishek and Ishan.

Doeschate thinks that the problem India is facing is not with off-spinners, but with the way they have been dealing with finger spinners in general, and this is an area that requires improvement. India has some Super 8 matches against South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the West Indies in the coming days, and they will have to work out a strategy to counter the challenge of finger spin.

Ten Doeschate said:

“It has (made it easier for teams to plan against India). We don’t have many options (in the top three). We have got Sanju sitting on the side, and we feel, on balance, particularly with the games coming up, if we look at what finger spin is, we are going to come up against New Zealand. We have got a few guys who bowl finger spin, and so do the West Indies, and so does South Africa if you include Markram. But on balance, we still feel that these are our best batters and we are going to make do with the abundance of left-handers."

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As India moves into the Super 8 rounds, the spotlight will be on flexibility and understanding rather than just reputation. The concern that has been brought to the fore by Ryan ten Doeschate’s statement is the team’s strategy against finger spinners, particularly in conditions with longer boundaries. Already, the opposition has begun to target the left-heavy top order of India with off-spin in the powerplay overs. But if the batsmen are able to work out their strategy and perform more comprehensively, India will certainly be one of the strong contenders for the T20 World Cup trophy.