Home
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged and praised Ben Stokes for his sustained and impactful bowling spells during the third Test match at Lord's. However, he cautioned against the expectation that every player should replicate such feats. Stokes bowled impressive spells of 9.2 overs and 10 overs consecutively, which played a crucial role in maintaining pressure on the Indian batting lineup and ultimately contributed to England's 22-run victory. Following England's win, some experts had drawn comparisons to Stokes' performance and suggested that India could have utilised their premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, for longer spells in the same Test. Addressing these points, Ten Doeschate clarified that such comparisons are not necessarily valid, emphasising that each player possesses their own unique set of strengths and approaches to the game.
“That was super impressive for Ben to come out on their last day and bowl the amount of overs he did with the intensity he did, and obviously bats and fields as well. We’re not here to compare our bowlers to individuals from other teams. We have our own strengths. We know what particularly Jasprit does in spells, in shorter spells, which he prefers bowling in,” Doeschate told reporters on the sidelines of Team India's practice session in Beckenham.
“And when the time’s right, and what I alluded about Siraj, some bowlers are like that. You get the best out of them in their seventh, eighth and ninth over, but not everyone has to be the same as that. And we feel that in consultation with Jasprit, how we use him is the best way for the team,” he added.
Doeschate further stressed on the significance of managing the workload of players like Mohammed Siraj. He pointed out that Siraj, much like Ben Stokes' performance of bowling extra overs on day five at Lord's, is always willing and ready to bowl those additional overs. Therefore, it is equally crucial to monitor and manage his workload effectively to ensure his sustained performance throughout the series.
“We take for granted how lucky we are to have someone like that. I know he doesn’t always have the returns that you expect from a fast bowler, but in terms of heart, he’s like a lion and what he brings to this bowling attack, whenever he does have the ball in hand you always feel like something’s going to happen,” he further stated.
“He’s not someone who’s going to shy away from workload, so it makes it even more important for us to manage his workload and make sure that he’s at least fit to give his best. And again, we’ll take a call on the combination we play, particularly given the Arshdeep situation as well, we’ll make that call closer to Manchester,” Doeschate concluded.
India suffered a painful 22-run defeat in the third Test against England, a result that put them in a precarious position, trailing 1-2 in the five-match series with two matches remaining. This places India in a critical situation, as they now face a do-or-die scenario in the upcoming fourth Test, which is scheduled to begin on July 23 in Manchester.
ADVERTISEMENT
