'Taking wickets key against deep batting line-ups': Ryan ten Doeschate

Kolkata: The Indian bowling attack will have its task cut out when it squares off against a power-packed West Indies that bats deep, almost till No. 9, in the final Super Eights clash here on Sunday. Given what’s at stake with the winner advancing to the semifinals and the loser packing their bags, the West Indies are expected to come out all guns blazing.

India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who seems to have become a spokesperson for the team with his repeated media interactions, said the Men in Blue are aware of the Caribbean batting firepower but are confident of quelling it.

“I don’t think there are many line-ups that can boast Romario Shepherd walking into number nine. But I think that’s also a feature of all the teams in the tournament now, certainly the teams that have done well. England bat really deep, New Zealand bat really deep, India bat really deep... So you have to focus on taking wickets,” said Doeschate at the pre-match press conference here at Eden Gardens on Saturday.

“I think that old-school way of just containing in T20 cricket has gone out. We feel the West Indies play a risk-reward game of high proportion in both aspects of that. And as a bowling unit, we’re really looking forward to that challenge. We know there are kinks there where we can get wickets, and our plan tomorrow will be to attack for the whole 20 overs and peg them back in that way, much like South Africa did. But yeah, it’s certainly going to be a challenge. The surface looks pretty good, so it could be a high-scoring game.”

As Doeschate pointed out, India too tends to bat deep and the pieces finally fell together nicely in Chennai against Zimbabwe where they amassed the highest total of this World Cup so far (256/4). Doeschate said the batting unit hitting its straps couldn’t have come at a better time.

Rinku to join team 

India batter Rinku Singh, who flew to Aligarh on Friday to conduct the last rites of his father Khanchand Singh after he passed away due to liver cancer, is scheduled to join the team on Saturday, reports DHNS from Kolkata. “He's planned to join us later this evening (Saturday) and we just need to get around him and help him through this very difficult time,” said India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.

Rinku to join team India batter Rinku Singh who flew to Aligarh on Friday to conduct the last rites of his father Khanchand Singh after he passed away due to liver cancer is scheduled to join the team on Saturday reports DHNS from Kolkata. “He’s planned to join us later this evening (Saturday) and we just need to get around him and help him through this very difficult time” said India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.