MUMBAI: It can safely be said that since he made his debut for India in T20Is against Sri Lanka in Lucknow on February 24 last year, Deepak Hooda hasn't been given a fair run or used judiciously by India. However, if they intend to build a solid team for the next two white ball World Cups (50-over WC this year, and then the T20 WC in 2024), India need to give this big-hitting allrounder a longer run, especially in the role of a finisher.
In 16 T20Is, the 27-year-old has scored 343 [email protected], including a 57-ball 104 against Ireland at Malahide on June 28, 2022, while batting at No 3. However, that innings failed to see Hooda seal a permanent spot in India's T20I team. He endured an ordinary time in the Asia Cup, but it didn't help that he batted at No 7 and wasn't used as a bowler. In the subsequent T20 World Cup in Australia, all he got was one game against South Africa on a tough pitch at Perth, where he was out for a duck.
