Veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has advised Team India to use Deepak Hooda up in the batting order as he has a better record while playing at number 3 than as a finisher lower down the order. Hooda impressed many during last IPL for Lucknow Super Giants where he batted in the middle-order as he also became a regular in India’s T20I set-up after that. The lanky batter scored a sublime century on the Ireland tour to cement his place in the T20I World Cup squad but he didn’t get a chance in the playing XI there. After the T20 WC, India have started their transition period and the team management has used Hooda in the lower-middle order in recent times.
The 27-year-old has scored 243 runs in 5 matches while batting in the top order at a sublime average of 60.75 which also includes a century. But his numbers dropped when he pushed down the order at number 6 and 7 where he scored 102 runs in 11 matches at an average of 17.
Karthik feels in the current set-up Hooda will bat at number 6 in the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand but he also wants him to get an opportunity at no 3 before the management and selectors decide to move on from him
“It will definitely be Deepak Hooda who’ll be batting at 6. If ever he’s under pressure, they should give him that opportunity at 3 before they decide to move on from him because he’s done so well at 3 that he deserves those opportunities,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.
Karthik, who was India’s designated finisher during 2022 T20 World Cup, suggested that the important thing while batting at number 6 is to create an impact every time one comes down to bat.
“What you can do consistently at No. 6 is cause an impact. Even if you’ve played eight balls, six balls. Deepak Hooda can be consistent if he can create an impact every time he walks into bat. That’s what he should be aiming to do. Create an inning where he changes the tone of the game. That’s something a middle-order batter can do,” he said.
Hooda will be under the scanner in the second T20I against New Zealand on Sunday after his below-par show with the bat in the opening T20I where he was dismissed for 10 as India lost the match by 21 runs.
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