Virat Kohli Batting Technique: Former India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has opened up about a fascinating conversation with Virat Kohli during India’s tour of Australia, revealing how he approached the batting superstar over his repeated dismissals outside the off stump. Ten Doeschate admitted that coaches often hesitate to question established players because of the changing power dynamics in modern cricket. However, he revealed that Kohli welcomed his intervention, resulting in an interesting discussion about the former India captain’s batting approach.

Kohli endured a challenging phase during the Australia tour, with his repeated attempts to drive deliveries outside the off stump becoming a recurring problem. The Indian batting great was dismissed several times while playing away from his body, bringing his technique and shot selection under scrutiny.

While identifying a technical issue is one part of a coach’s responsibility, communicating it to a player of Kohli’s stature presents an entirely different challenge. Speaking on the talkSPORT Cricket podcast, Ten Doeschate explained why coaches sometimes hesitate to intervene and recalled how he eventually gathered the courage to discuss Kohli’s batting.

Ryan Ten Doeschate Explains Why Coaches Are Afraid To Question Senior Players

Ten Doeschate believes the growing influence of players in modern cricket has made it increasingly difficult for coaches to raise uncomfortable subjects, particularly when dealing with established international stars.

Explaining the dilemma, the former Netherlands all-rounder said:

“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.”

He further highlighted the importance of understanding whether technical advice will genuinely benefit a player or potentially create confusion.

“You’ve got to strike the balance of making an intervention that’s going to help the player, or confusing them.”

However, Ten Doeschate made it clear that he does not believe coaches should allow the fear of upsetting a player to prevent them from offering constructive feedback.

What Happened When Ryan Ten Doeschate Confronted Virat Kohli?

Recalling his experience with Kohli, Ten Doeschate revealed that the repeated nature of the batter’s dismissals eventually convinced him to initiate a conversation during the fourth Test of India’s Australia tour.

He explained that approaching an experienced player requires confidence, but the intention behind the discussion should always be to help rather than criticise.

“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,” Ten Doeschate said.

The former India assistant coach also acknowledged that questioning a player of Kohli’s stature can be a risky exercise if the conversation is not handled properly.

“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.”

He added:

“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.”

Virat Kohli Explained His Batting Approach During Discussion With Ten Doeschate

Interestingly, the conversation was not simply about the coach telling Kohli what he needed to change. Ten Doeschate revealed that the former India captain also explained why he preferred playing the drive in a particular manner.

According to him, coaching is not necessarily about persuading a player to abandon his natural game. Instead, it involves understanding the batter’s thought process and identifying possible adjustments without compromising his preferred approach.

Ten Doeschate explained:

“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.”

The exchange allowed the two to discuss Kohli’s batting technique from different perspectives, with the objective of finding a possible solution rather than imposing a completely different approach.

Why Ten Doeschate Chose A Rain Break To Discuss Kohli’s Technical Flaw

Another interesting revelation from Ten Doeschate was how carefully he considered the timing of his intervention.

He explained that technical suggestions can sometimes disturb a batter’s concentration, particularly when they are preparing to face a challenging bowling attack. Introducing a new technical thought at the wrong moment could make a player unnecessarily conscious of his movements.

Giving an example, Ten Doeschate said:

“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.”

He revealed that the conversation with Kohli had been on his mind for some time, but he wanted to identify an appropriate opportunity to raise the issue.

“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,” he said.

Explaining how he eventually initiated the discussion, Ten Doeschate revealed that he deliberately chose a non-confrontational approach during a rain interruption.

“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.”

The revelation provides an insight into the working relationship between India’s coaching staff and senior players, while also highlighting the importance of communication in international cricket. For Ten Doeschate, the experience with Kohli demonstrated that even the most accomplished batters can benefit from an honest technical discussion when the advice is delivered with the right intention and at the right time.

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