Dinesh Karthik believes Deepak Hooda should be promoted up the Indian batting order

With the cutthroat competition that one needs to go through to register his or her maiden call-up for the Indian national team, chances are very rare to come by. To make matters even more difficult when you have already made the cut and you are unable to perform consistently, the eyes do turn at you.

One such name that has drifted in and out of form in recent times has been that of Deepak Hooda. Hooda who bats in the top order for his IPL team, Lucknow Supergiants, plays a very different role, that of a finisher for the Indian team.

RCB’s Finisher Supreme, Dinesh Karthik had an important message for Hooda and he believes that a shuffle in his batting position can bring about an emphatic change in his exploits.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik said, “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. 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 a very 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. But right now, in the recently-concluded Sri Lanka series, he did decently well at No.6 and it was a great opportunity for him.”

If Deepak Hooda was to get a promotion up the order, who could potentially play the finisher’s role? DK had a very interesting suggestion. “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. Now it is Deepak Hooda. But I do think if he is under pressure they should give him that opportunity at No.3 before they decide to move on from him,” said DK who knows a thing or two about finishing a T20 innings.

As India gears up for their series finale against New Zealand in the T20Is, it will be intriguing to see how the Men in Blue line up for a crucial fixture.