India started the three-match ODI series against West Indies with a 6-wicket win over the visitors at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The men in blue witnessed a few fresh faces due to some COVID-19 cases in the camp. While Ishan Kishan returned to the ODI side to open the innings, all-rounder Deepak Hooda got to make his debut. Hooda was handed his cap by his teammate and former skipper Virat Kohli.
Deepak Hooda made an impressive start to his ODI career, as he played a sturdy knock of 32-ball 26* and took the team over the line while chasing 177. However, being an off-spinner with 35 wickets in 75 List-A matches, he wasn’t brought to bowl on a track that assisted spinners. This move irked former Indian opener, Aakash Chopra who took to Twitter to express his disappointment.
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To support his case, Aakash Chopra cited another debutant’s example- Venkatesh Iyer, to take a dig at the Indian management. Aakash Chopra had tweeted, “Venkatesh Iyer earlier. Hooda today. Kinda impossible to create all-rounders if they won’t get to bowl Or perhaps, selectors are picking players as all-rounders but the team management has little or no faith in their bowling abilities.”
Replying to Chopra’s tweet, a Twitter user asked the former cricketer to “stop spreading negativity”
Do you ever have anything positive to apeak ?. Today der was no need for the 6th bowler. No wonder u played only few matches. Come up. Stop spreading negativity.
— Vishaal Dutta (@visdutta) February 6, 2022
Aakash Chopra, however, had the last word, coming up with an epic reply, saying the best time to experiment is “when there is little or no pressure.”
Venkatesh Iyer, who made his debut in the first ODI of the three-match series in South Africa, managed to bowl just five overs in the couple of matches he played on the tour. Touted to fill the void of a fast-bowling all-rounder, he wasn’t seen coming out to bowl often in his debut series. Iyer was then not part of the playing XI in the third and final ODI in Cape Town.
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On a wicket that was turning and gripping, it was surprising that Deepak Hooda, who is an off-spinner too didn’t get a chance to bowl on his ODI debut with Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar impressing. Chahal took four wickets while Sundar for three West Indian wickets as the visitors were packed off for 176 in 43.5 overs.
