"Coaches Are Afraid": How Ex-India Coach Ryan Ten Doeschate Carefully Confronted Virat Kohli

Former India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has shared an intriguing behind-the-scenes account of a delicate technical intervention with batting maestro Virat Kohli during India's tour of Australia. During that assignment, Kohli endured a prolonged lean patch, repeatedly falling in identical fashion while driving outside off stump. As fans, pundits, and former cricketers questioned whether the coaching staff was actively addressing the technical flaw, Ten Doeschate revealed the intricate planning required to initiate such a discussion with a player of Kohli's stature without coming across as confrontational.

Speaking on the talkSPORT Cricket podcast, Ten Doeschate highlighted how modern "player power" has reshuffled dressing-room dynamics, explaining that many international coaches hesitate to step in when superstar cricketers struggle.

"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."

The former Netherlands all-rounder reflected on the courage required to broach the recurring mode of dismissal with Kohli during the high-stakes tour:

"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.

"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."

Delving into the specifics of the conversation, Ten Doeschate emphasised that effective coaching is rarely about dictating terms, but about creating an open dialogue. He revealed that Kohli thoroughly explained the tactical rationale behind his shot selection:

"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 also pointed out the psychological risks that come with untimely technical critiques, especially when a batter has to face top-tier pace:

"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.

"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."

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