'I will stick with him at No. 3 - Aakash Chopra backs Deepak Hooda ahead of 1st T20I against England

Former Indian batter and active cricket pundit Aakash Chopra believes that India should stick with Deepak Hooda at number three for the first T20I against England on July 7, Thursday in Southampton. He stressed that Hooda performed well in the Ireland series, and added that he would not make a change with the all-rounder’s batting position

Chopra said that Hooda was outstanding in Ireland, scoring a hundred and a score of 47* in the two-match series. The former India opener also said that Suryakumar Yadav should play at number four, Hardik Pandya at number five and Dinesh Karthik at six. 

“I will stick with Deepak Hooda at No. 3. I am not going to make a change because he batted really well (against Ireland),” said Chopra, on his YouTube channel. “He scored a hundred and almost got fifty in the other game. He was absolutely outstanding,” added Chopra.

Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal can be the two spinners: Chopra

“I would play Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) at 4, Hardik Pandya at 5 and Dinesh Karthik at 6. Axar Patel had played in the last match and the series before that. He could come in again (at No.7). He and Yuzi Chahal can be the two spinners,” added the 44-year-old. “Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be my pacers for the game,” said Chopra

Senior players such as Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer have been rested for the first T20I, having appeared in the rescheduled fifth Test match in Edgbaston, Birmingham, which ended on July 5. They are in the squad for the remaining two matches, scheduled to take place on July 9 in Birmingham and July 10 in Nottingham.

India captain Rohit Sharma is expected to be back to the limited-overs team after recovering from Covid-19. He had earlier taken time off from cricket after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in May and missed the fifth Test match after testing positive for Covid 19. Following the T20I series, the two teams will play three ODIs, starting on July 12.