Can Deepak Hooda Be Tried In Place Of Shreyas Iyer?

A case for Deepak Hooda to be tried in place of Shreyas Iyer during IND v SA T20Is.

Indian men's T20 team is in an interesting phase. They are not only transitioning with the new management but also preparing themselves for the upcoming T20 World Cup in October. With a major event within sight, India need to find the right approach and then the personnel to fit in with the game plan

One of the most important positions and roles in a T20 batting lineup is the middle over controller. In this role, the batter is basically keeping the scoreboard ticking in the middle overs when mostly the spinners are operating. 

In the squad against South Africa, there are two players who can play this middle over controller - Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Hooda. While Iyer is a more established international cricketer, Hooda has recently made his place in the T20 squad. 

Shreyas had a terrific series against Sri Lanka in February where he amassed 204 in three games at a strike rate of more than 174 without getting out. There is no doubt he's the first in the pecking order to be in the playing XI, however, there is another player that might play the middle order controller better than Shreyas. 

Deepak Hooda made his T20I debut in the Sri Lanka series in 2022 but didn't get much chance to bat - 16 balls, 21 runs, 21 Avg, 132 SR. 

Hooda has been in brilliant form in the last two years. However, to make sense of batter's T20 numbers, the best criteria is to take first inning numbers into consideration. 

Hooda, since 2020, has faced 402 balls in the first innings and scored 577 runs at a strike rate of 143.53 and an average of 30.36. Contrary to this, in the same period, Shreyas Iyer has scored 878 runs at a strike rate of 128.36 and an average of 33.76 in 684 balls he faced in the first inning. Basically, Hooda scores faster than Iyer and averages in a similar bracket. 

Because we are looking at a middle-order controller, a decent number three should look to play around with a decent enough strike rate during the middle overs and begin his inning well. 

Hooda's middle-over numbers read - 343 runs, 147.21 SR, and 31.18 Avg. On the contrary, Iyer's numbers read - 533 runs, 123.95 SR, and 29.61 Avg. In the first 20 balls of the inning since 2020, Hooda strikes at a rate of 132.51 at an average of 40.25 while Iyer has a strike rate of 111.44 and an average of 42. So Hooda not only is a quick starter but also knows how to save his wicket similar to Shreyas. 

From the 7-11 overs, Deepak Hooda has scored 137 runs in the last two years at a strike rate of over 129 while averaging 68.5. Shreyas Iyer in a similar period has scored 205 at a rate of 117.14 while averaging 34.17. So not only does Hooda plays quicker but also preserves his wicket better. Overall in the middle overs, Hooda has made 343 runs at a rate of 147.21 while averaging 31.18; Iyer has scored 533 runs at a strike rate of close to 124 and an average of 29.61. And also, Hooda has a much better scoring rate while facing both pace and spin than Iyer. 

The numbers pretty much sum up what Hooda can offer better than Iyer, who will already know what can do and cannot do in the international setup. Deepak Hooda, in the recently concluded IPL 2022, played a similar role of middle overs controller for Lucknow Super Giants and had a great return - 451 runs in 330 balls at a strike rate of 136.67 and an average of 32.21.