India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate stressed the importance of keeping bowlers fresh, given the tight schedule between their last group match and the semi-final. India, already assured a semi-final spot, aims to top their group while managing bowling workloads. Ten Doeschate mentioned the need to share bowling duties to maintain player fitness, especially with captain Rohit Sharma recovering from an injury. He also noted that the upcoming match against New Zealand could highlight spin bowling, as both teams have strong spinners. Additionally, he acknowledged the challenge of scoring on the Dubai pitch, suggesting scores of 280-290 are now more realistic.
New Zealand has also booked their place in the semi-finals, and the match on Sunday will determine who tops Group A.
“We’ve undergone two quite rigorous training sessions, which are part of our preparation,” ten Doeschate stated. “In terms of our bench strength, the priority is to ensure that our best players are available and fully fit for the second game [the semi-final on March 4].
“However, we also do not wish to rest them for another two days [since India has had a week off]. Therefore, to achieve the right balance, we might distribute the bowling workload a bit. Nevertheless, we certainly want to win against New Zealand. It’s crucial to maintain our momentum and to finish at the top of the group as well. So these two elements need careful consideration.”
Ten Doeschate expressed satisfaction with the rest period his players have enjoyed since their last encounter against Pakistan on February 23.
“They’ve had ample rest now. The challenge lies in how we follow up with two games. If all the seamers are to bowl 10 overs, and then, if we bowl second in the first game, we have a turnaround of just 36 hours, which adds significant strain.
“That’s what I meant earlier. One strategy could be to ensure that players do not complete their entire quota of overs, if the situation permits. But we are prepared to manage that on the field and aim to keep our bowlers as fresh as possible for both the first match and the final.”
Doeschate acknowledged that Sunday’s match could feature significant spin play. “New Zealand has several spinners as well, so it might turn into a spin contest,” he stated.
“As we entered the tournament, we did not anticipate such a heavy reliance on spin. However, the bowlers have performed well, and the pitch has aided them somewhat, so I expect similar conditions for the upcoming game.”
“KL has done well. He hasn’t had many opportunities… [But] we need to keep Rishabh ready and active. We never know when his services will be required. Having two wicketkeepers of such quality is certainly a boon.”
On the difficulty of scoring on the Dubai pitch, he remarked, “I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. We’ve grown accustomed to a standard that allows us to score 320 fairly easily. [Here] reaching 320 has proven challenging.
“In my view, the pitch has behaved a bit differently in those two matches [against Bangladesh and Pakistan]. They would likely yield scores of 280-290 if you bat really well. Overall, it’s not comparable to playing in Pakistan, where you would typically aim for 320-330. However, one must adapt and achieve a score that is competitive on these surfaces. Based on our observations from the first two matches, we believe that around 280-290 is a good target.”