Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate urges India to improve overseas performance

Ryan ten Doeschate (File pic)

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate feels the immediate challenge for the current T20 world champions is to remove the 'underachievers' tag in foreign conditions and to understand the process of adapting quickly to different playing environments.

India has suffered consecutive series defeats to Ireland and England under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer.

"We have spoken so much about adaptability; it's easy to say we need to adapt, it's easy to say but ,really it's a point now where we need to understand the process, what is needed to make those adaptations," Ten Doeschate said at the post-match press conference.

"Psychologically and mentally, the challenge for the group is to accept the fact that we are underachieving in foreign conditions and tell the players, look there is a big prize two years down the line in Australia. Do we want to be a team that smashes 250 in India and looks great hitting 80m six at Eden Gardens, or do you want to come to places like Manchester, Southampton, where things are slightly different," he added.

Ryan ten Doeschate backs skipper Shreyas Iyer

The only shining light during the disappointing England series has been skipper Shreyas Iyer, who missed India's World Cup-winning campaign. India's assistant coach backed the skipper after a difficult start to life in the captaincy role. Iyer is yet to win a match for India after his first six matches as skipper.

"He is one of the guys who has exploited the ability to use the crease, and that's how you have to play in these conditions. He has batted really well in all three innings. But again, I don't want to stand and defend the players and also be overcritical, but the onus is on the players to have the mindset to accept that the fact it's really going badly and look at the evidence in front of them. Shreyas is a fantastic leader, and age-wise, if you are looking at two years down the line in Australia, you have to make some really tough calls. There are going to be millions of opinions about it." Ten Doeschate concluded.

(With inputs from ANI)