Former India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has opened up about a behind-the-scenes conversation with Virat Kohli during India's tour of Australia, revealing how he approached the batting star about a recurring technical issue. Kohli had struggled for runs during the series and repeatedly lost his wicket while attempting to drive deliveries outside the off stump. With questions being raised about whether the coaching staff was doing enough to address the problem, Ten Doeschate explained the thought process behind approaching a player of Kohli's stature.
Speaking on the talkSPORT Cricket podcast, the former Netherlands all-rounder discussed how the growing influence of players in modern cricket has made coaches more cautious about offering technical advice to established stars. He explained that coaches often face the challenge of helping a struggling player without interfering unnecessarily or affecting their confidence.
"I think a lot of coaches are afraid to make interventions because it can be seen that you are, you know, trying to justify your job, or you're interfering, or just saying things for the sake of saying it," Ten Doeschate said. "You've got to strike the balance of making an intervention that's going to help the player, or confusing them."
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Ten Doeschate then recalled how he eventually decided to speak to Kohli about his repeated dismissals during the fourth Test of the series. He admitted that approaching one of India's biggest cricketing stars required careful consideration, particularly given the potential consequences of getting the message wrong.
"I never want to be a coach who is scared of an opinion of someone else for stepping in, for saying the right thing. I actually was just telling a really great story about Virat and the troubles he had in Australia with driving the ball and nicking off. Eventually, in the fourth Test, I went to intervene and chat to him. And he was brilliant about it! And he actually wanted someone to chat to him."
"But my sense is, for a coach to go to a player like Virat Kohli and intervene and almost call them out on what's happening can be dangerous for you as a coach. And I think getting the wording right around that and how you deliver it is so important."
According to Ten Doeschate, the shift in power towards players has made it increasingly difficult for coaches to initiate conversations about technical shortcomings. He believes that finding the right approach is essential to ensuring that feedback is constructive rather than counterproductive.
"The way the power shift has moved towards the players in the modern era does mean that a lot of coaches are scared to bring up topics or at least get talking about it."
The former all-rounder also explained that the discussion with Kohli was not about asking him to abandon his preferred style of batting. Instead, it involved understanding the batter's reasoning and finding ways to make small adjustments without compromising his natural game.
"You don't have to agree. You might say, 'I want to drive on the up for these reasons,' and that's actually what happened with Virat. He really explained why he wanted to play in the way he played, and then you can tweak around that."
Ten Doeschate further highlighted the importance of choosing the right moment to offer technical feedback. He pointed out that introducing doubts into a batter's mind immediately before facing a quality bowling attack could do more harm than good.
"There's always a risk that you sort of unsettle his frame of mind. You know, he might be in a really good place, and now you say, 'You know, I've noticed when you're pulling... you're just taking your eye off the ball.' Technically, you might want him to watch the ball a little bit longer, but now all of a sudden he's thinking about pulling, and he's got to go out and face Mitchell Starc. So that's not the time to do it."
Recalling how he prepared for the conversation, Ten Doeschate said he had spent considerable time thinking about how to communicate the issue without making Kohli feel criticised. He eventually chose a rain break during the fourth Test as the opportunity to bring it up in a relaxed setting.
"In that situation, it had been bubbling away, and it was more a case of me building up the courage and delivering it in the right way. I was lucky enough to have a decent relationship with Virat. He's obviously not someone who needs a lot of coaching, and that was one thing that really stuck out-the manner of the dismissal being so same-same."
"So I had thought about it a lot, and I thought how I could deliver it. You know, I'm not going to go to him and say, 'Mate, you've got cover drives all over the show.' But I then worked out a time-it was during a rain break-where I could deliver it in quite a non-confrontational way. And credit to him, the way he took it on ended up being a really great discussion. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver the results we wanted towards the back end of the series, but you know, I'd say if you can deliver it to someone like him, you can deliver it to anyone. Just finding the right way of dropping your message is really important."
Ten Doeschate's account offers a glimpse into the delicate relationship between coaches and senior players at the highest level, while highlighting how even the most accomplished batters can benefit from an open exchange of ideas.
