An honest assessment of India’s series loss to Ireland, the first in three years, came from their assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate. Candid and frank, the former Dutch captain said there is disbelief in the camp. But equally important was what he said next.
“That (the conditions) 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. 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,” Ten Doeschate said after the series loss that came just three months after India won their second successive T20 World Cup.
Over two days in Belfast, where they failed to chase 183 and 155, the batsmen’s performance before the England series begins Wednesday is worrisome. This batting group has been together for a while. Before landing in Ireland, they played all their cricket in India, with their last away trip being in November in Australia. At home, they have been playing mostly on flat beds right through this period, which included the T20 World Cup and the IPL.
In Belfast, the conditions were different with seam movement for the fast bowlers. It meant, adjustments had to be made. Indian batsmen have provided an exhibition of six hitting over the last six months, but when there is help for the bowlers, it becomes a different ball game.