IND vs NZ: “They Should Give Deepak Hooda That Opportunity At 3 Before They Decide To Move On From Him Because....” – Dinesh Karthik

The 37-year-old India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has stated that the Indian team management should provide the batting all-rounder Deepak Hooda with the opportunity to play at No.3 before removing him from the scheme of things in T20Is.

The 27-year-old Hooda has featured in 16 T20I innings for India and has scored 366 runs at an average of 30.50 and a strike rate of 147.58, including one century. He has batted at several different positions in T20Is – to be precise 6 positions – and his most successful batting position has been No.3 where he has scored 196 runs at an average of 49.00 and a strike rate of 166.10.

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In his last T20I match against New Zealand in Ranchi, Deepak Hooda came out to bat when India were at 89/5 in the 13th over and he got stumped after scoring run-a-ball 10.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, the veteran stumper Karthik said that Hooda should be tried at No.3 if he is under pressure and only if he fails to perform at that position then the team management should think about dropping him from the squad.

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“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,” he said.

What you can do consistently at No. 6 is cause an impact – Dinesh Karthik

Karthik further said that while batting at No.6 a player can consistently deliver impactful performances and he wants Hooda to do exactly that. He said:

“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.”

The Hardik Pandya-led India National Cricket Team and the Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand National Cricket Team will go head-to-head in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, January 29.

Also Read: IND vs NZ: “After Virat Kohli, If I’ve Seen Someone Who Wants Those Big Games, I Think It Is Hardik Pandya” – Dinesh Karthik

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