Former Indian captain and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir was officially announced as the next Team India head coach by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, July 9.
Gambhir succeeded his teammate Rahul Dravid, who ended his stint as a head coach after guiding the Men in Blue to the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph by defeating South Africa in the Final in Barbados. Gambhir will assume his coaching duties from Sri Lanka tour, including three T20Is as many ODIs, starting on July 27.
However, Gautam Gambhir is leaving no stone unturned to build his own coaching staff. Earlier, it was reported that the newly-appointed head coach told BCCI that he wanted the freedom to choose his own coaching staff. As per the reports, Gambhir recommended former Netherlands cricketer and KKR's fielding coach Ryan ten Doeschate to the BCCI as an assistant coach for Team India.
Who is Ryan ten Doeschate?
Ryan ten Doeschate is a former Netherlands cricketer, who played for the national side in 33 ODIs and 24 T20Is from 2006 to 2021. Though he was born in South Africa but chose to play for Netherlands as his father was originally from the Dutch city of Zwolle.
Ryan ten Doeschate was part of the Netherlands team that participated in the 2011 ODI World Cup and 2021 T20 World Cup.
Apart from playing for the Netherlands, Ryan plied trade in the BBL, IPL, County Championship and Bangladesh Premier League. In the Indian Premier League, the 44-year-old played for only Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from 2011 to 2015.
After retiring from professional cricket in 2021, Ryan ten Doeschate has been serving with Kolkata Knight Riders as the fielding coach. He is in charge of fielding unit for all the Knight Riders teams in Caribbean Premier League, Major League Cricket, and ILT20.
Ryan ten Doeschate played a crucial role behind the scenes in helping Kolkata Knight Riders clinch their third title in the IPL, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Final.
Gautam Gambhir once praised Ryan ten Doeschate
Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir once praised Ryan ten Doeschate for being 'selfless' after he was dropped from the playing XI as the overseas quota was filled. He added that Ryan is a person who can trust him for life.
"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 ever played with, the most selfless human being, someone I can take a bullet for, someone I can trust for life." Gambhir said at an event.
"I can tell you this because in 2011, my first game as a KKR captain, we only had four overseas (players) available. And this man had a fabulous 50-over World Cup. And we went in that game with only three overseas players. He was carrying drinks in that game with no disappointment on his face. He taught me selflessness,” he added.
Apart from Ryan ten Doeschate, Gautam Gambhir also recommended Abhishek Nayar's name to the BCCI for batting coach position. Nayar is the batting coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
