‘India Needs Him Down the Order’-Former India Cricketer Wants Deepak Hooda To Be Part Of India’s T20 XI
Beginning on Sunday, June 26th, India will go to Ireland to play two Twenty20 International matches there. Given that the Indian squad will be without a number of its regulars, it is likely that they will attempt to provide opportunities for some of their bench players. Deepak Hooda is expected to play for the Men in Blue in the forthcoming series, and Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer, has expressed his confidence in the all-rounder’s ability to perform well for the national team.
Hooda had an outstanding performance in the Indian Premier League 2022 and was one of the most important driving reasons behind his team, the Lucknow Super Giants, making it to the playoffs this season. When K.L. Rahul, the captain, dropped anchor in the middle overs, it was often the middle-order batsman who took the initiative and played the role of the aggressor. At the end of the season, the right-handed batsman ended with an incredible 451 runs scored to his credit, in addition to four half-centuries.
The all-rounder has a decent amount of skill with the ball and has the potential to contribute by taking some important wickets. After missing out on playing for the national team in the series against South Africa, Manjrekar thinks that now is the ideal moment for Hooda to make his comeback to the squad. According to Manjrekar, the batter has impressed everyone with his ability and has grown up a great deal throughout the IPL 2022.
Sanjay Manjrekar heaps praise on Deepak Hooda
“I believe we got to see the best of Deepak Hooda during the most recent Indian Premier League tournament. Therefore, I anticipate that he will receive some playing time in this series against Ireland. Since he has been in existence for a considerable amount of time, you have probably come across random examples of his work and been impressed by his skills. He came of age during the previous IPL,” he said on a Sony Sports program.
As a result of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant’s lacklustre performances during the previous series against South Africa, India had a difficult time scoring runs from the middle order. The inclusion of the player from the Lucknow Super Giants in India’s middle-order batting may relieve some of the strain that was placed on players like Hardik Pandya and Dinesh Karthik, who were responsible for the majority of the scoring in the latter stages of the match.
“India needs someone down the line who is similar to him. Hooda accomplished a lot in his role for the IPL team despite the challenges he faced. He is someone that India would, without a doubt, look at,” Manjrekar added.