What can stop India in the 2026 T20 World Cup? Ryan ten Doeschate explains prior to Super 8 vs South Africa

India enters the Super 8 phase of the T20 World Cup 2026 with a perfect record after a hard-fought win over the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium. While the 17-point victory secured their fourth consecutive win of the tournament, the team management is already looking at the tactical refinements required for the business end of the competition. After the match assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate gave a candid assessment of the journey ahead, stressing that the team’s ‘best, most complete performance is yet to come’ as they prepare for a rematch of the 2024 finals against South Africa this Sunday.

T20 World Cup 2026: Ryan ten Doeschate marks major hurdle for unbeaten India ahead of South Africa Super 8 showdown

During the group stage, India faced more off-spin than any other team, and often struggled to maintain a high scoring rate during the middle overs on sticky wickets. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate noted that while flat throws do make this possible ‘Get through the finish line with more confidence’ the real test lies in adapting to surfaces where the ball sticks.

“I don’t think you will see it on better wickets [batters struggling against spin]. You can get through the line with more confidence. But the point is that we have to have plans where the wickets will hold up and the [longer] there are limits. We need to be able to put a plan in place to deal with that threat. I wouldn’t say so [there are struggles against] offspin, I would say finger spin [on the whole].” Ten Doeschate was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Ten Doeschate pointed out that opponents are deliberately using finger spinners to target India’s left-wing dominant top order, citing the recent clash in Colombo as a prime example:

“Colombo [against Pakistan] was a particularly difficult wicket… I think Pakistan bowled 14 [17] Excess finger spin in the last game, and off the top of my head, I mean [they got] something like 4 for 78 or something like that [5 for 125]. So these are not great numbers [for India]. It is a trend at this World Cup. Teams are becoming a lot smarter now.” Ten Doeschate added.

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“Teams are getting smarter,” admits India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate

India’s unbeaten run to the Super 8s has been overshadowed by a clear vulnerability against ‘finger spin’. This trend started against the USAwhere spinners pressured India for three mid-order wickets and stayed against Namibia as Gerard Erasmus’ a four-wicket haul almost derailed a strong start. Rival captains have clearly identified India’s left-heavy top order as a tactical weakness to be exploited on guard surfaces.

The battle reached a climax in Colombo, where Pakistan deployed 18 overs of spin on a sticky pitch to dismantle the top order, including the prized wickets of Abhishek Sharma And Ishan Kishan. Most recently in Ahmedabad, Netherlands’ Aryan Dutt used the new ball to remove both openers early, further highlighting India’s squeeze faces when unable to hit through the line. Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted that “teams are getting smarter” by using finger spin to stifle India’s power hitters on wickets that offer even a hint of grip.

“It has been a trend in this World Cup. In IPL or bilateral series, the pace of the innings is carried from powerplay. In all matches, especially in Sri Lanka [at this World Cup]you get out of the books quickly, and batting becomes difficult in the middle phase, and teams are getting a lot smarter now,” Ten Doeschate concluded.

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