Indian batting all-rounder Deepak Hooda will not be available for the 3-match South Africa T20 series due to back injury and he will be replaced by Shreyas Iyer.
South Africa will take on India in a three-match T20I and ODI series to be played in India and the T20 series will begin on Wednesday, 28th September at Thiruvananthapuram. Team India just completed a T20I series against Australia and won the series 2-1.
But, the world’s best T20 team, India’s early exit from the Asia Cup created a negative impact on the team. With the upcoming T20 World Cup later this year in Australia, the South Africa series becomes an important one for both teams to prepare well for the tournament. Team India made a league-stage exit from the T20 World Cup 2021 and now looking for more matches to figure out the perfect combinations for the World Cup 2022.
Team India already announced the team for both the South Africa series and for the World Cup. Deepak Hooda was a part of the squad for both. But Hooda is suffering from a back injury and has not travelled with the Indian team for the South Africa series. Instead, he has travelled to National Cricket Academy (NCA). Now the reports state that Hooda will be replaced by Indian middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer.
Hooda was also not part of the playing IX in the 3-match T20 series against Australia. On the final T20 game in Hyderabad, BCCI mentioned that Hooda will not be available for the selection.
“Deepak Hooda wasn’t available for selection for the third #INDvAUS T20I owing to a back injury,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tweeted after the toss of the 3rd T20I match.
It seems Hooda has not recovered from the injury. No clarification was given on the extent of Hooda’s injury and they never disclosed the recovery time. There is confusion aroused about Hooda’s injury, and it will surely trouble the Indian team with three weeks to go for the World Cup.
Hooda is an inevitable part of the T20 squad as he has exhibited his talent with the bat throughout this year. Hooda has just made his T20I debut in February 2022 against Sri Lanka and it was because of his excellence with the bat that he is now part of the 15-member World Cup squad. Now, team India will face a big injury scare ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are also not part of the South Africa series this time. Both players will be on rest and also have to report to the NCA for conditioning-related work.
Indian left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed will join the squad instead of Hardik Pandya. Both Shreyas Iyer and Shahbaz Ahmad are expected to join the squad on Tuesday. Mohammad Shami, who was affected by Covid 19 is yet to recover from it and he will continue to be side-lined for the South Africa series.
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