Team India’s batting coach Ryan ten Doeschate has said that the team management will discuss playing Sanju Samson in the last two Super 8 matches of the T20 World Cup 2026. Ten Doeschate pointed out that adding a right-handed batsman at the top could also give the team a tactical option at the top of the order.
India suffered a 76-run defeat against South Africa in their opening Super 8 game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 22. The Men in Blue will have to win the remaining two matches and also depend on other results to qualify for the semi-finals of the event.
Sanju Samson is a fantastic player – India coach Ryan ten Doeschate
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Ryan ten Doeschate described Sanju Samson as a high-quality player. He said the right-handed option at the top of the order will be discussed before two important games.
Ten Doeschate said, “Sanju is a brilliant player and having a right-handed batsman higher up the order obviously helps tactically. I’m sure that will be the talking point over the next few days in these two very important games.”
India’s top order Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma together scored only 16 runs. Abhishek scored 15 runs in 12 balls, but Ishan and Tilak were out cheaply for 0 and 1, leaving the team in early trouble.
It’s got a wicket every time – Ryan ten Doeschate on India’s struggle against off-spin
Ryan ten Doeschate said that India has continuously lost early wickets due to part-time off spin in the beginning of the innings. He said that the early setbacks have put additional pressure on Tilak Verma and Suryakumar Yadav, making it difficult for them to build innings.
“I have been looking at the five matches so far. Four teams have started with part-time off-spin and it has been worse every time, except the USA game where we lost Abhi [Abhishek] In any case without scoring,” commented Ten Doeschate.
“Starting every innings at zero for one or starting at two for one every time is clearly putting pressure on the link players – Tilak and Surya. Their role is to link up with the guys at the back and it hasn’t happened that way.”
It was very difficult to take action against him – Ryan ten Doeschate
Ten Doeschate said South Africa outclassed India by sticking to a disciplined length. He said that Lungi Ngidi and the other seamers controlled the game and did not allow India to bat freely, which he felt created the difference between the two teams.
“I think he’s holding the length very well. Obviously, the lunges with the slower balls are the point of difference, really absolute. We’ve spent a lot of time planning for that this week,” said Ten Doeschate.
“And credit to them, despite all the planning, they were very difficult to perform against. I thought all three fast bowlers kept their length very well and didn’t let us free our arms. And that was probably the difference between the two teams today.”
Also read: No Babar Azam! Ricky Ponting named the Pakistani batsman who will scare every team in Super 8.
