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 T20 World Cup in 2024 in the West Indies and USA, they need to give this big-hitter a longer run in the role of a finisher, who can also bowl a few useful overs of off-spin.
In 16 T20Is, the 27-year-old has scored 343 runs @ 38.11, 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 the team, especially with the established starts still around. From then on began a sequence of being ‘in’ and ‘out’ of the XI for Hooda 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 even 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, caught behind off Andrich Nortje.
