Veteran India cricketer Dinesh Karthik feels all-rounder Deepak Hooda is under pressure to perform after India’s loss in the first match of the three-T20I series against New Zealand in Ranchi on January 27.
Now ahead of the second T20I which will be played in Lucknow on January 29, Karthik feels Hooda fancies himself to bat at the top, but he has not been given that chance and freedom for the Indian team.
"To be consistent is the hardest thing at 5, 6, 7, especially at 6 and 7. So Deepak Hooda, even though he has done really well at No.3, for some reason they feel he can do the job at No.6 and 7. I feel this is going to be a big challenge for him,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.
Karthik also pointed out that Hooda rediscovered himself when he moved out of Baroda after an ugly spat with Krunal Pandya and that even in the IPL, the right-hander hasn’t had any success while playing in the middle order.
Even Hooda’s only T20I century for India came while he was opening the innings against Ireland.
"Through his IPL career, barring Lucknow Super Giants, he is someone who has batted through the middle, at No.5 or 6, and hasn't had great success. He fancies himself as a top-order batter. He rediscovered himself when he went from Baroda to Rajasthan. He likes batting in the powerplay. He likes to take the game on," Karthik further added.
Karthik said that India should give Hooda a chance at the top order before moving on from him in the T20I format. He also spoke about Jitesh Sharma being an option to try out at no.6 given that it is the natural batting spot for the Vidarbha keeper-batter.
“Jitesh Sharma is a home-grown No.6 batsman. He is someone who likes batting there and would hence enjoy the situation a lot more. He has batted there and has trained himself to bat there. But in this series I don't see him playing," Karthik said about Jitesh Sharma.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
