'KKR will miss you': Ex-KKR Director confirms Ryan ten Doeschate's appointment as India's assistant coach

Former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar and former Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate are set to join the support staff of the Indian Cricket Team as assistant coaches for the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, starting on July 27.

Both Nayar and Ten Doeschate previously worked with Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir during the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) successful IPL 2024 season. Under Gambhir’s mentorship, they served as assistant coaches for the KKR in the IPL 2024.

Joy Bhattacharjya praises Ryan ten Doeschate as he is set to join Indian cricket team

It is also being said that T. Dilip has been retained as the fielding coach for the Indian cricket team by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, the BCCI has not yet officially announced the appointments of Nayar and ten Doeschate, but reliable sources confirmed that they have been appointed as assistant coaches of Team India.

Meanwhile, the well-known sports producer Joy Bhattacharjya, who was hailed as the “Godfather of Fantasy Sports in India', confirmed ten Doeschate's appointment as India’s assistant coach on his official social media handle X on July 20.

In his post, Bhattacharjya said that KKR will surely miss ten Doeschate in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but he is confident that the Dutch cricketer will make a difference for the Indian team.

KKR will miss you Tendo: Joy Bhattacharjya

Joy Bhattacharjya posted on X: “I've known @rtendo27 for over 13 years now, and true to what Gautam believes, if you had to go to battle, this is the first man you will want beside you. Amazing cricket record, still the highest ODI batting average of 67 over 34 matches with 5 centuries. And one of the nicest men I know. Go well, Tendo. KKR will miss you, but I am positive you will make a difference.”

I've known @rtendo27 for over 13 years now, and true to what Gautam believes, if you had to go to battle, this is the first man you will want beside you.
Amazing cricket record, still the highest ODI batting average of 67 over 34 matches with 5 centuries. And one of the nicest… pic.twitter.com/YK9OCcop5R

— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) July 20, 2024

Ten Doeschate is currently engaged with the Los Angeles Knight Riders in the USA's Major League Cricket (MLC) 2024, but he is expected to join the Indian squad directly in Colombo, while T. Dilip will continue in his role as the fielding coach.

He taught me selflessness: Gautam Gambhir on Ryan ten Doeschate

Earlier, Gambhir said of ten Doeschate: “When I talk about selflessness, I have never said this in 42 years of my career, and I wanted to say this. The greatest team man I have ever played with, the most selfless human being, someone I can take a bullet for, someone who I can trust for life.

And I can tell you this because in 2011, for my first game as a KKR captain, we only had four overseas players available, and this man had a fabulous 50-over World Cup.

We went into that game with only three overseas players, and he was carrying drinks into that game with no disappointment on his face. He taught me selflessness. Ryan ten Doeschate. These are the people who made me the leader.”

On the other hand, the BCCI is considering former South African pacer Morne Morkel for the role of bowling coach. However, Morkel had discussions with the BCCI, but the board is still finalizing the details and has yet to confirm his involvement with the Indian team.