Team India has witnessed a change of guard since the T20 World Cup last year. Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain across formats at different times while Ravi Shastri&#8217;s tenure as the head coach also ended. Rohit Sharma was named the captain in ODIs and T20Is first and then he took over in Tests. At the same time, Rahul Dravid was named the head coach and the team has been performing well since then.

With the T20 World Cup set to be played later this year, the team management, under the watchful eyes of Dravid, has been cautious in terms of managing their all-format player. They have also tried a few different combinations with first-choice players unavailable due to different reasons. In the process, they have also taken a few surprising decisions that have surprised many.

Here, we bring you five surprising decisions team India has taken since Rahul Dravid became head coach:

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-669633" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-1.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-669633" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)</figcaption>

One of the members of the senior core of the current Indian Cricket Team, Shikhar Dhawan is captaining the ODI team series after series. Persisting with Shikhar as a skipper is an unexpected move. Since Rahul Dravid has become the head coach of the side, all the three format players are getting rests after every big series.

The southpaw first captained the side in the <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/sri-lanka" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sri Lanka</strong></a> tour in 2021. India played three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka last year in July. India won the ODI series but eventually lost the T20I series in their tour. Shikhar is an experienced bloke and a regular feature on the ODI side. He has lost his position in Tests and T20Is.

The 36-year-old was named the captain of the team again in ODIs against West Indies in July 2022. India whitewashed the series by winning it comfortably by 3-0. As the main players are getting rest, Shikhar is continuously getting chances to lead the side. He is now named the captain of the side for the Zimbabwe series which is all set to commence on the 18th of August 2022.

<strong>2. Captain merry-go-round</strong>

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-673794" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-2.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-673794" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)</figcaption>

The captain merry-go-round in the Indian Cricket Team continued when Shikhar Dhawan led the Indian ODI side against West Indies in July 2022. We have witnessed plenty of captains in the last few months. Since, Rahul Dravid has become the head coach, there have been eight different captains who have led the Indian Cricket Team in different formats.

The men in blue have seen eight captains in the last ten months. These eight captains are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/no-trip-to-the-caribbean-is-complete-without-a-visit-to-the-kings-home-hardik-pandya-pays-visit-to-kieron-pollard-and-his-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hardik Pandya</strong></a>, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shikhar Dhawan. While Rohit is the primary captain of the team in all three formats, India has had these stand-in captains in different series.

When Rahul Dravid was asked about it after the rescheduled fifth Test match against England, he said, “When I took this job, even I would not have predicted that there would be so many captains in the last 6-7 months. It happens right, there have been some unfortunate injuries to people. Sometimes we have to balance out the workloads.&#8221;

<strong>3. Rishabh Pant as an opener</strong>

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-679677" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rishabh-Pant.jpg" alt="Rishabh Pant" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-679677" class="wp-caption-text">Rishabh Pant. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>

Rishabh Pant who is considered the next big thing in international cricket was seen in a different role when he came out to open the innings with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wi-vs-ind-rohit-sharma-becomes-batter-with-second-most-sixes-in-international-cricket/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rohit Sharma</strong></a> in the second T20I of the series on Saturday, 9th July 2022. He scored 26 runs of fifteen balls hitting six and four boundaries before Reece Topley got him out.

The wicket-keeper is a naturally attacking batter and can maximize the use of powerplay in the first six overs of the innings. The move got praise as well as criticism as the plan was partially successful. The ace Indian cricketer and respected cricket commentator said in an interview that Rishabh Pant can be a successful opener in limited overs cricket.

The decision to send the southpaw as an opener was also praised by Sanjay Manjrekar who said, “Can imagine Pant as an opener on a big stage like a T20 WC semi-final. Team India has set Rishabh free.&#8221; After the England series, Rishabh is continuously playing in the middle-order. It will be interesting to see if he is considered for opening in the future.

<strong>4. Trying Suryakumar Yadav for the opening slot</strong>

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-679678" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Suryakumar-Yadav-2.jpg" alt="Suryakumar Yadav" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-679678" class="wp-caption-text">Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption>

The Mumbai cricketer became the number two T20I ranked batter, all the credit goes to his consistently brilliant performances. The current Indian side have plenty of cricketers who deserved to get chances in the playing 11. That made <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wi-vs-ind-suryakumar-yadav-sends-one-over-the-fence-with-helicopter-shot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Suryakumar Yadav</strong></a> open the innings with Rohit Sharma against West Indies in the T20I series. As of now, he is having a good time as an opener.

Just like the case of Rishabh Pant, the decision of playing SKY as an opener has surprised many. In the first T20I of the series, Surya scored 24 runs off 16 balls which got followed by 11 off six in the second, and a classy 76 off 44 in the third T20I. His knock of 76 in the third T20I made India win the game by seven wickets.

The stylish batter did well in the games in which he opened the innings. The cricket fans were delighted to see him as an opener. While former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth slammed the Indian team management. He said, “Don’t spoil the cricketer. He’ll lose his confidence.&#8221;

<strong>5. Persisting with Shreyas Iyer instead of Hooda</strong>

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-664145" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Deepak-Hooda2.jpg" alt="Deepak Hooda" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-664145" class="wp-caption-text">Deepak Hooda. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

Deepak Hooda recently scored a hundred in T20Is against Ireland and became just the fourth Indian batter to score a ton in the shortest format of the game. Alongside his hundred, he has played some impressive knocks recently. Despite playing so well, Hooda got dropped from the playing eleven. He is finding it tough to get featured in the eleven.

The hard-hitting batter was left out after the first T20I of the England series. After that game, India played four T20Is without Hooda. It was expected that he will play all the five T20Is against West Indies but the team management had other plans. They went with Shreyas Iyer at number three in place of Virat Kohli to start the series.

Deepak Hooda returned to the playing XI in the third T20I of the series. He got a place in the eleven in place of Ravindra Jadeja. Hooda came out to bat at number six and got only seven balls to play. However, Shreyas Iyer&#8217;s poor run with the bat meant that he was dropped and Deepak Hooda returned to his favoured number three spot for the fourth T20I.

<p>Team India has witnessed a change of guard since the T20 World Cup last year. Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain across formats at different times while Ravi Shastri’s tenure as the head coach also ended. Rohit Sharma was named the captain in ODIs and T20Is first and then he took over in Tests. At the same time, Rahul Dravid was named the head coach and the team has been performing well since then.</p>
<p>With the T20 World Cup set to be played later this year, the team management, under the watchful eyes of Dravid, has been cautious in terms of managing their all-format player. They have also tried a few different combinations with first-choice players unavailable due to different reasons. In the process, they have also taken a few surprising decisions that have surprised many.</p>
<h3>Here, we bring you five surprising decisions team India has taken since Rahul Dravid became head coach:</h3>
<h3>1. Persisting with Dhawan as captain</h3>
<figure id="attachment_669633" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-669633" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-669633" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-1.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-669633" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>One of the members of the senior core of the current Indian Cricket Team, Shikhar Dhawan is captaining the ODI team series after series. Persisting with Shikhar as a skipper is an unexpected move. Since Rahul Dravid has become the head coach of the side, all the three format players are getting rests after every big series.</p>
<p>The southpaw first captained the side in the <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/sri-lanka" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sri Lanka</strong></a> tour in 2021. India played three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka last year in July. India won the ODI series but eventually lost the T20I series in their tour. Shikhar is an experienced bloke and a regular feature on the ODI side. He has lost his position in Tests and T20Is.</p>
<p>The 36-year-old was named the captain of the team again in ODIs against West Indies in July 2022. India whitewashed the series by winning it comfortably by 3-0. As the main players are getting rest, Shikhar is continuously getting chances to lead the side. He is now named the captain of the side for the Zimbabwe series which is all set to commence on the 18th of August 2022.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Captain merry-go-round</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_673794" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-673794" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-673794" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-2.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-673794" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The captain merry-go-round in the Indian Cricket Team continued when Shikhar Dhawan led the Indian ODI side against West Indies in July 2022. We have witnessed plenty of captains in the last few months. Since, Rahul Dravid has become the head coach, there have been eight different captains who have led the Indian Cricket Team in different formats.</p>
<p>The men in blue have seen eight captains in the last ten months. These eight captains are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/no-trip-to-the-caribbean-is-complete-without-a-visit-to-the-kings-home-hardik-pandya-pays-visit-to-kieron-pollard-and-his-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hardik Pandya</strong></a>, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shikhar Dhawan. While Rohit is the primary captain of the team in all three formats, India has had these stand-in captains in different series.</p>
<p>When Rahul Dravid was asked about it after the rescheduled fifth Test match against England, he said, “When I took this job, even I would not have predicted that there would be so many captains in the last 6-7 months. It happens right, there have been some unfortunate injuries to people. Sometimes we have to balance out the workloads.”</p>
<h3><strong>3. Rishabh Pant as an opener</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_679677" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-679677" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-679677" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rishabh-Pant.jpg" alt="Rishabh Pant" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-679677" class="wp-caption-text">Rishabh Pant. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rishabh Pant who is considered the next big thing in international cricket was seen in a different role when he came out to open the innings with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wi-vs-ind-rohit-sharma-becomes-batter-with-second-most-sixes-in-international-cricket/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rohit Sharma</strong></a> in the second T20I of the series on Saturday, 9th July 2022. He scored 26 runs of fifteen balls hitting six and four boundaries before Reece Topley got him out.</p>
<p>The wicket-keeper is a naturally attacking batter and can maximize the use of powerplay in the first six overs of the innings. The move got praise as well as criticism as the plan was partially successful. The ace Indian cricketer and respected cricket commentator said in an interview that Rishabh Pant can be a successful opener in limited overs cricket.</p>
<p>The decision to send the southpaw as an opener was also praised by Sanjay Manjrekar who said, “Can imagine Pant as an opener on a big stage like a T20 WC semi-final. Team India has set Rishabh free.” After the England series, Rishabh is continuously playing in the middle-order. It will be interesting to see if he is considered for opening in the future.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Trying Suryakumar Yadav for the opening slot</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_679678" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-679678" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-679678" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Suryakumar-Yadav-2.jpg" alt="Suryakumar Yadav" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-679678" class="wp-caption-text">Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Mumbai cricketer became the number two T20I ranked batter, all the credit goes to his consistently brilliant performances. The current Indian side have plenty of cricketers who deserved to get chances in the playing 11. That made <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wi-vs-ind-suryakumar-yadav-sends-one-over-the-fence-with-helicopter-shot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Suryakumar Yadav</strong></a> open the innings with Rohit Sharma against West Indies in the T20I series. As of now, he is having a good time as an opener.</p>
<p>Just like the case of Rishabh Pant, the decision of playing SKY as an opener has surprised many. In the first T20I of the series, Surya scored 24 runs off 16 balls which got followed by 11 off six in the second, and a classy 76 off 44 in the third T20I. His knock of 76 in the third T20I made India win the game by seven wickets.</p>
<p>The stylish batter did well in the games in which he opened the innings. The cricket fans were delighted to see him as an opener. While former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth slammed the Indian team management. He said, “Don’t spoil the cricketer. He’ll lose his confidence.”</p>
<h3><strong>5. Persisting with Shreyas Iyer instead of Hooda</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_664145" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-664145" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-664145" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Deepak-Hooda2.jpg" alt="Deepak Hooda" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-664145" class="wp-caption-text">Deepak Hooda. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Deepak Hooda recently scored a hundred in T20Is against Ireland and became just the fourth Indian batter to score a ton in the shortest format of the game. Alongside his hundred, he has played some impressive knocks recently. Despite playing so well, Hooda got dropped from the playing eleven. He is finding it tough to get featured in the eleven.</p>
<p>The hard-hitting batter was left out after the first T20I of the England series. After that game, India played four T20Is without Hooda. It was expected that he will play all the five T20Is against West Indies but the team management had other plans. They went with Shreyas Iyer at number three in place of Virat Kohli to start the series.</p>
<p>Deepak Hooda returned to the playing XI in the third T20I of the series. He got a place in the eleven in place of Ravindra Jadeja. Hooda came out to bat at number six and got only seven balls to play. However, Shreyas Iyer’s poor run with the bat meant that he was dropped and Deepak Hooda returned to his favoured number three spot for the fourth T20I.</p>

<p>Team India has witnessed a change of guard since the T20 World Cup last year. Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain across formats at different times while Ravi Shastri&#8217;s tenure as the head coach also ended. Rohit Sharma was named the captain in ODIs and T20Is first and then he took over in Tests. At the same time, Rahul Dravid was named the head coach and the team has been performing well since then.</p>
<p>With the T20 World Cup set to be played later this year, the team management, under the watchful eyes of Dravid, has been cautious in terms of managing their all-format player. They have also tried a few different combinations with first-choice players unavailable due to different reasons. In the process, they have also taken a few surprising decisions that have surprised many.</p>
<h3>Here, we bring you five surprising decisions team India has taken since Rahul Dravid became head coach:</h3>
<h3>1. Persisting with Dhawan as captain</h3>
<figure id="attachment_669633" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-669633" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-669633" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-1.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-669633" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>One of the members of the senior core of the current Indian Cricket Team, Shikhar Dhawan is captaining the ODI team series after series. Persisting with Shikhar as a skipper is an unexpected move. Since Rahul Dravid has become the head coach of the side, all the three format players are getting rests after every big series.</p>
<p>The southpaw first captained the side in the <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/cricket-teams/sri-lanka" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Sri Lanka</strong></a> tour in 2021. India played three ODIs and three T20Is against Sri Lanka last year in July. India won the ODI series but eventually lost the T20I series in their tour. Shikhar is an experienced bloke and a regular feature on the ODI side. He has lost his position in Tests and T20Is.</p>
<p>The 36-year-old was named the captain of the team again in ODIs against West Indies in July 2022. India whitewashed the series by winning it comfortably by 3-0. As the main players are getting rest, Shikhar is continuously getting chances to lead the side. He is now named the captain of the side for the Zimbabwe series which is all set to commence on the 18th of August 2022.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Captain merry-go-round</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_673794" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-673794" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-673794" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shikhar-Dhawan-2.jpg" alt="Shikhar Dhawan" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-673794" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo Source: Twitter/BCCI)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The captain merry-go-round in the Indian Cricket Team continued when Shikhar Dhawan led the Indian ODI side against West Indies in July 2022. We have witnessed plenty of captains in the last few months. Since, Rahul Dravid has become the head coach, there have been eight different captains who have led the Indian Cricket Team in different formats.</p>
<p>The men in blue have seen eight captains in the last ten months. These eight captains are Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/no-trip-to-the-caribbean-is-complete-without-a-visit-to-the-kings-home-hardik-pandya-pays-visit-to-kieron-pollard-and-his-family/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Hardik Pandya</strong></a>, Jasprit Bumrah, and Shikhar Dhawan. While Rohit is the primary captain of the team in all three formats, India has had these stand-in captains in different series.</p>
<p>When Rahul Dravid was asked about it after the rescheduled fifth Test match against England, he said, “When I took this job, even I would not have predicted that there would be so many captains in the last 6-7 months. It happens right, there have been some unfortunate injuries to people. Sometimes we have to balance out the workloads.&#8221;</p>
<h3><strong>3. Rishabh Pant as an opener</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_679677" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-679677" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-679677" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rishabh-Pant.jpg" alt="Rishabh Pant" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-679677" class="wp-caption-text">Rishabh Pant. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Rishabh Pant who is considered the next big thing in international cricket was seen in a different role when he came out to open the innings with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wi-vs-ind-rohit-sharma-becomes-batter-with-second-most-sixes-in-international-cricket/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Rohit Sharma</strong></a> in the second T20I of the series on Saturday, 9th July 2022. He scored 26 runs of fifteen balls hitting six and four boundaries before Reece Topley got him out.</p>
<p>The wicket-keeper is a naturally attacking batter and can maximize the use of powerplay in the first six overs of the innings. The move got praise as well as criticism as the plan was partially successful. The ace Indian cricketer and respected cricket commentator said in an interview that Rishabh Pant can be a successful opener in limited overs cricket.</p>
<p>The decision to send the southpaw as an opener was also praised by Sanjay Manjrekar who said, “Can imagine Pant as an opener on a big stage like a T20 WC semi-final. Team India has set Rishabh free.&#8221; After the England series, Rishabh is continuously playing in the middle-order. It will be interesting to see if he is considered for opening in the future.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Trying Suryakumar Yadav for the opening slot</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_679678" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-679678" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-679678" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Suryakumar-Yadav-2.jpg" alt="Suryakumar Yadav" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-679678" class="wp-caption-text">Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<p>The Mumbai cricketer became the number two T20I ranked batter, all the credit goes to his consistently brilliant performances. The current Indian side have plenty of cricketers who deserved to get chances in the playing 11. That made <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/wi-vs-ind-suryakumar-yadav-sends-one-over-the-fence-with-helicopter-shot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Suryakumar Yadav</strong></a> open the innings with Rohit Sharma against West Indies in the T20I series. As of now, he is having a good time as an opener.</p>
<p>Just like the case of Rishabh Pant, the decision of playing SKY as an opener has surprised many. In the first T20I of the series, Surya scored 24 runs off 16 balls which got followed by 11 off six in the second, and a classy 76 off 44 in the third T20I. His knock of 76 in the third T20I made India win the game by seven wickets.</p>
<p>The stylish batter did well in the games in which he opened the innings. The cricket fans were delighted to see him as an opener. While former Indian cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth slammed the Indian team management. He said, “Don’t spoil the cricketer. He’ll lose his confidence.&#8221;</p>
<h3><strong>5. Persisting with Shreyas Iyer instead of Hooda</strong></h3>
<figure id="attachment_664145" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-664145" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-664145" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Deepak-Hooda2.jpg" alt="Deepak Hooda" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-664145" class="wp-caption-text">Deepak Hooda. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Deepak Hooda recently scored a hundred in T20Is against Ireland and became just the fourth Indian batter to score a ton in the shortest format of the game. Alongside his hundred, he has played some impressive knocks recently. Despite playing so well, Hooda got dropped from the playing eleven. He is finding it tough to get featured in the eleven.</p>
<p>The hard-hitting batter was left out after the first T20I of the England series. After that game, India played four T20Is without Hooda. It was expected that he will play all the five T20Is against West Indies but the team management had other plans. They went with Shreyas Iyer at number three in place of Virat Kohli to start the series.</p>
<p>Deepak Hooda returned to the playing XI in the third T20I of the series. He got a place in the eleven in place of Ravindra Jadeja. Hooda came out to bat at number six and got only seven balls to play. However, Shreyas Iyer&#8217;s poor run with the bat meant that he was dropped and Deepak Hooda returned to his favoured number three spot for the fourth T20I.</p>

Rahul Dravid has done a decent job as head coach so far.

5 Surprising decisions of team India since Rahul Dravid became head coach

Team India has witnessed a change of guard since the T20 World Cup last year. Virat Kohli stepped down as the captain across formats