India all-rounder Deepak Hooda is currently under pressure said veteran India cricketer Dinesh Karthik after India’s loss in the first T20I match against New Zealand. While speaking to Crcibuzz, the India wicketkeeper-batter said that Hooda can bat at the top, but he has not been given that chance and freedom so far. Notably, Hooda had not had success while playing in the middle-order in the Indian Premier League, and Karthik said that Hooda found success when he moved out of Baroda after an ugly spat with Krunal Pandya as well.

“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,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz. “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 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.”

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Dinesh Karthik also said that India should give Deepak Hooda a chance at the top order before moving on from him in the T20I format. Karthik also said that Jitesh Sharma is a trained No. 6 batter and naturally bats himself to bat in that position as well.

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“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,” Dinesh Karthik said about Jitesh Sharma.